Welcome to Barden Asylum
by Renendra
Summary: The year is 1964. Dr. Chloe Beale has just been hired on as the new psychiatrist at Barden Asylum. Many of the patients suffer from standard afflictions, but there's something about the mystery that is Beca Mitchell that draws her attention. Can Chloe help these patients, or is there more going on at Barden than she realizes? Pitch Perfect Asylum AU. Bechloe.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer:** I do not own anything Pitch Perfect related. This is an AU (alternate universe) multichapter fic. The reflection of historical accuracy in 1964 will most likely not be 100% accurate, but this is my story. Thanks.

* * *

 **C** **hapter 1**

 _ **Winter 1964**_

"Do you really have to take this job? You just finished your degree in psychiatry, is a ward for the mentally ill really the place you should be starting?"

"Yes, mother. These are the people that need my help the most, the people that society has forgotten about. I think they deserve the right to get better as much as anyone else does." Chloe threw some final articles of clothing into a small suitcase before snapping it shut. She turned to face her mother with a bright grin on her face. "Besides, I'll be home for Christmas before you know it." Her mother nodded silently as she helped Chloe carry her bags down to the car that waited just outside. The driver took the bag from the two women and began to load them, giving them time to say their goodbyes. Chloe's mother drew her in for a tight hug, tears flowing from her eyes as she did so.

"Take care of yourself, dear. I don't want to receive a phone call saying one of those lunatics attacked you. You're so smart and beautiful. I don't know why you couldn't have just settled down with a man." The older redhead cupped Chloe's cheek as she drew back, her eyes beaming with both pride and despair at having to see her only daughter off.

"I'll be fine. I am a Beale after all. I'm going to make you and Daddy proud. Not many women get the opportunity to make a real difference like I know I can. I'll call once I'm settled in. I love you. Tell Daddy goodbye for me." Giving one final hug to her mother, Chloe entered the car and handed over the address to the driver. As they pulled away from her childhood home, she waved goodbye to her mother as she slowly disappeared from view. It wouldn't be too long before she would be returning for the holidays, and this new job really was promising.

* * *

The drive to the facility only took a few hours to get there, and it was almost too soon before the car came to a stop. The driver had pulled up in front of a tall wrought iron gate built into a stone wall. Chloe looked out the window, momentarily confused. There appeared to be nothing for miles around except forest. The rest was covered in a dense fog. She was startled as the driver suddenly opened her side door. Exiting the vehicle, she noted that the driver was already unloading her bags. She took both of them in her hands and stared questioningly at the gate.

"Are you sure this is the right place? Where's the building?" Chloe pondered the question aloud but the driver had already taken his money and was starting up the car. Chloe frowned, but started making her way over towards the gate. They were expecting her, right? The gate appeared to have a large lock placed on it, and didn't look easy to pry open. "Um, hello? Is anyone there? My name is Dr. Chloe Beale. I was told you were informed of my arrival!" The sound of her voice carried in the distance, and there was something rather eerie about this whole scenario.

"Hello, Doctor." A man of average stature with curly brown hair appeared on the other side of the gate, nearly scaring Chloe half to death. The redhead placed a hand to her chest in momentary shock. The young man appeared friendly enough. He pulled a key from his pocket and placed it in the gate's lock. A shrill screech pierced the air as the metal gave and allowed her access. He stuck his hand out to shake hers, to which Chloe politely shook. "My name's Benji Applebaum, the groundskeeper here. The head doctor is expecting you. Follow me." Benji took Chloe's bags from her and led her down the long foggy path towards the building. At first it was nothing more than a foreboding dark silhouette in the distance, but the closer they came, the more details could be seen. The institution was massive, with several tall towers that came to a sharp point. The outer walls were made of dark grey stone and the roof was dusted in a light layer of snow, creating a nice contrast. It appeared that many of the windows were barred, though some appeared to contain vibrant pieces of stained glass. It was stunning craftsmanship to say the least.

Upon entering the building, Chloe followed Benji down a series of corridors until they had reached the administrator's office.

"I'll just take your bags to your room. The good doctor is waiting." Benji politely opened the door to the office.

"Thank you." She entered the room and made note of a few things immediately. It was very organized, not a book or file out of place. A small fire was burning in the fireplace. A couple paintings hung on the wall, and most of the furniture appeared the be rather comfortable. Overall it felt very homey. The second thing she noticed was the tall blonde female sitting at her desk looking over some paperwork with reading glasses on. Chloe approached the desk and took a seat across from the woman. "Hi, I'm…"

"Dr. Beale, I know. I'm glad to see you made it here with no complications. I'm Dr. Aubrey Posen, Head Doctor and Administrator here. Welcome to Barden Asylum, I hope you find your stay a pleasant one." The first impression that Chloe got of the woman was that she was a little uptight. However, Chloe found her not without her own charm. She gave Aubrey a warm smile in return.

"Thank you Dr. Posen, but please, just call me Chloe. I'm actually quite thrilled to be starting here."

"Great. That's what I like to hear. I was exceptionally impressed with your application. I think you'll be perfect for our special cases unit. These particular patients have been a bit, shall we say…resistant to treatment. Perhaps someone with your qualifications and unique approaches would be better suited to their needs. Shall we get started today?" Aubrey removed her glasses and set them on the desk before grabbing a small stack of files. She handed a spare doctor's coat to Chloe and gestured for her to follow her. Quickly putting on the garment, Chloe followed behind the blonde quickly.

"I wasn't aware I would be starting so soon, but the sooner the better!" The corridors of the asylum were quite impressive. There were rooms for temporary cases, who appeared to be able to roam the facility fairly freely, but then the further in they went, open doors were replaced with locked cells and padded rooms. Large bolted doors with small square windows were spaced evenly along the walls. It was only minutes before Aubrey and Chloe reached the special cases unit. Aubrey stopped at the first door and handed Chloe one of the patient files.

"Every day you'll do your rounds where you will check in with the patients and assess their mental states. Patients listed as hostile are not to be approached without the presence of a male orderly. Today we're just going to be familiarizing you with the patients you'll be dealing with and their cases. Simple enough?" Chloe opened the file and nodded. "Your first patient is Cynthia Rose. She was admitted a year ago and established to have an impulse control disorder connected to compulsive gambling." Chloe nodded as she scanned the file. Moving on, Aubrey approached the second door, handing her the matching case file.

"Your second patient is 'Fat' Amy." Chloe's head snapped up from the file at the name.

"You call her 'Fat' Amy? Isn't that a little degrading?" Chloe was baffled at Aubrey's casual use of the name, as if that was appropriate. These patients were still people.

"Oh, no, she prefers to be called that, and I quote, 'so twig bitches like us don't say it behind her back'. You'll also take note that her real name is Patricia. She's mostly fine, self-admitted actually. She's convinced she's suffering from post-traumatic stress disorder as a result of being hit by a flying burrito, so we're trying to help her." A chuckled left Chloe. So far the patients she was going to be working with sounded easy to help. She wondered what would make them so resistant to treatment methods that would get them put in the special cases unit. She didn't have much time to think before Aubrey handed her the third case file.

"Your third patient is Lily Onakuramara. She was admitted just recently. We believe she's mute, but may have psychopathic tendencies. She's the primary suspect in a series of arson and murder cases. Nothing as of which can be proved, but she was to be placed here while under investigation. Just proceed with caution." Chloe cringed a little bit, but this was what she signed on for. She would help these people, no matter how extreme the case may or may not be. "Let's keep moving, we don't have all day."

"How many people are in this unit? Are there any men here? I see most have just been women." Seeing the stack of folders still left in Aubrey's hand made her wonder just how many patients other doctor's at this institution were handling if she would be getting so many off the bat, especially with special cases.

"There's only six in this ward. Six of which, you, will be handling. The men are handled by the male doctors in a different area of the facility." Aubrey placed another folder in Chloe's hand. "Next we have Stacie Conrad. We've diagnosed her as a Nymphomaniac. Watch out for that one, she's very persuasive. Even I was slightly tempt….um, not important. This way." A blush spread across Aubrey's face and she quickly turned away.

"Oh, does Dr. Posen have a…" Chloe playfully jested to the other doctor as they approached the next door. The look Aubrey gave her told her to otherwise not continue with that statement. Touchy subject apparently.

"We're almost through. This patient here believes she's two separate people. Sometimes she goes by Jessica, sometimes Ashley. When she was brought in, she referred to herself as Jessica, but then hours later she became violent because we didn't address her as Ashley. Other times she is convinced that the state of mind that she isn't in at the time is an existent separate person. For now we think it's a matter of a multiple personality disorder, but more studies may need to be conducted." Aubrey looked down at the final folder in her hand with a bit of disdain. She looked up at Chloe, and almost seemed hesitant to hand over the final folder.

"This final patient…she's…hopeless. We've been thinking of transferring her to another facility…" Placing a hand on Aubrey's shoulder, Chloe was determined to show her dedication to doing anything for these people.

"Aubrey… _every_ patient can be helped." Chloe reached her hand out for the folder, which Aubrey reluctantly handed to her. "What's so bad about this one?"

"She won't speak to anyone. She was brought in a week ago. She's a danger to our staff and possibly herself, we can't get a proper diagnosis. Only that she was admitted by her father." Chloe closed the folder, and carefully approached the cell that the girl was in. She placed a hand on the door and looked through the small slot to the well lit room. Inside was a small person with brown hair sitting on the bed, she appeared to be simply staring at the wall. Chloe lightly knocked on the door, and the girl turned towards her. Their eyes met, and they stared at each other for what seemed like an eternity, too entranced to look away. The girl seemed to smile for a second, but then Aubrey's face came into view as she looked in t. The girl quickly scowled. She lunged towards the door, causing Aubrey to pull Chloe away at the last second as the patient banged on the door.

Chloe seemed a bit disoriented from the experience, taking deep breaths. It felt…no, that was just crazy. What was that though? Chloe turned to Aubrey who Chloe just now realized had been talking.

"…and I promise the staff will take better care with handling her. I'm sorry you had to experience that on your first day, I know some of these patients can be a bit overwhelming. And trust me, that one is no good. I…"

"What's her name?" Chloe continued to stare at the door. The banging had calmed down, but Chloe had a distinct feeling that there was more to that girl. She had smiled at her. Aubrey paused in what she was saying and started to lead Chloe away to get settled for the evening. Tomorrow was going to be a busy day of actually meeting the patients during her rounds. She glanced hesitantly over towards Chloe, who was lost in thought. Finally she answered her question.

"That's Beca Mitchell."


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The night came and went all too quickly for the newly settled doctor. Sunlight streamed in from the small window alerting her that she would need to start meeting with the patients that were now in her care. She had fallen asleep at the small desk in her room, taking the time to study the files in front of her. With each patient being so broadly different in illness, each individual would need unique approaches to dealing with their cases.

Chloe sat up, hearing several bones in her back pop. She cringed, and stood quickly to dress herself in a fresh change of clothes. Grabbing the doctor's jacket from the back of the chair, and a clipboard with a series of notes and paperwork she would need, she headed out into the corridor and started to make her way to her office in the special cases unit.

Keeping her eyes glued to her clipboard, she noted that the first patient she would be seeing was going to be 'Fat Amy'. She seemed like she was going to be easiest of the cases to handle. Not expecting most people to be up this early, it was a surprise to her when she suddenly bumped into someone. She managed to drop most of the contents that she held in her hands as a pair of strong hands steadied her.

"Oh! I'm so sorry! I wasn't watching where I was going!" Chloe knelt down to gather her things, but the other person had the same idea. Their heads collided rather harshly. Chloe finally righted herself and gathered her things, lightly rubbing her forehead. She let out a sigh and finally looked at the stranger. He was wearing a white coat, indicating his status as another one of the doctors here. He had incredibly short blonde hair, a strong jawline, and seemed very fit for someone in his profession. He smirked at Chloe and stuck his hand out to shake hers.

"Hi, you must be Dr. Beale. Dr. Posen said we were getting some new staff members. She failed to inform me that we were accepting applications from heaven." Even with the English accent, Chloe couldn't help but feel slightly disgusted. _Really?_ She kept the handshake brief.

"Yes, I'm Dr. Beale. And you are?" Chloe smiled politely at the male doctor.

"Luke McLaggen at your service. I'm the doctor on duty in the men's ward. Where are you off to so early this morning?"

"Special Cases Unit." Upon hearing Chloe's response, Luke's demeanor changed. He seemed to study Chloe for a moment, making her feel a little uncomfortable. After a moment, Luke stuck his hands in his pockets.

"Ah. Well, sorry for this little incident. I'd best be on my way." As Luke started to move away from Chloe and towards the destination he had been going before they collided, he stopped in his stride, but did not turn around. "Oh…and Dr. Beale…good luck. You're going to need it." A chill ran up Chloe's spine as the man started moving again. He was whistling a slow peppy tune, but that seemed to make things all the more ominous. Chloe decided to get moving before her mind could linger on that thought for very long.

Chloe reached the special cases unit with no more unexpected encounters, thankfully. Maybe jumping right into work would help get her mind off of some things. However, as she passed Beca's cell, Chloe's eyes couldn't help but linger there a few seconds longer than the others. Approaching the door that belonged to Amy, Chloe removed the keys to the cells from her pocket and knocked out of curtesy before entering.

"Amy? Hi, I'm Chloe. I'm your new doctor." Chloe entered the room and saw Amy sitting on her bed. She had looked up when the redhead entered, and appeared disinterested.

"Oh yeah, you're the one everyone's been talking about. Hey, does the carpet match the drapes, because I've got cake riding on a bet between me and Black Beauty, and I'd like to win. It's hard to get cake in here." Chloe laughed at Amy's comment.

"I am a natural redhead, yes. Do you mind if I take a seat?" Chloe gestured towards a chair that was placed in the room and Amy nodded, seemingly pleased with the response. Chloe settled into the chair and settled her clipboard in her lap. Holding her pen to the paper, Chloe proceeded with the mental evaluations. "Now, Amy, why are you here?"

"I was shot." Chloe lays her arms over the clipboard and looks closely at Amy. Her body language, which is casual, suggests she is being honest. Perhaps some more prodding would get to the core of Amy's issue.

"You were hit by a burrito."

"Well, yeah, but have you ever been hit by a burrito? It's got like, cheese and beans in it. I could have died. I had a burn for like….a couple of hours!" Chloe raised an eyebrow but jotted some things down on her clipboard.

"Okay. Well, what has happened since getting hit by the burrito? What kind of duress do you have?"

"I can't sleep at night. All I can imagine is a giant tortilla swallowing me whole like an overly swaddled baby. And don't even get me started on Mexican food in general. I can't eat it anymore. I used to be Tasmania's best competitive Mexican food eater, but there's no way I can touch the stuff now." Amy flailed her arm for dramatic effect. Chloe viably couldn't tell if she was really believing this or if this was some sort of weird theatrical performance. None of Chloe's background training could really prepare her for a case like this. Chloe looked down at her paperwork and scribbled down " _Delusional?"_

"Alright, Amy, I think we should try something a little different. I'm going to see if we can ease you back into feeling more comfortable with this. How would you feel about adding some Spanish rice to your meals?" Chloe started making final adjustments to Amy's file as she waited for a response.

"I think that would be very acceptable. Proceed." Amy made a waving gesture with her hand and Chloe smiled.

"Great. I'll get that order sent in immediately. It was very nice meeting you Amy, have a nice day." Chloe stood from the chair and left Amy's room, feeling a little more confident about this position than she had since she arrived. Even though Amy seemed fine, as Aubrey had previously explained, easier cases like this were great for warm up practices. Next on her list of patients was…Stacie. This should be interesting.

Chloe did the same as before when entering Stacie's room, but Chloe seemed to notice that Stacie wasn't immediately seen. She walked in slowly, the door clicking shut behind her before two arms slid around her waist. Chloe nearly jumped out of her skin at this occurrence.

"Sta…"

"Shh, they'll hear you. Red is a good color on you. It's kind of hot." Chloe placed her hands over the ones on her waist and quickly removed them. As she turned around, a bit of a scowl and a blush on her face, Stacie seemed to back off in surprise.

"Oh, you're not Aubrey. Ugh." Stacie scoffed in disappointment and Chloe placed a hand on her hip. Stacie seemed to shrug. "What? You're attractive, but I mean, Aubrey's so tightly wound, I bet she can really let loose. I'd kill to see that. I'll get her eventually." Stacie's eyes clouded over for a moment. Chloe coughed into her palm to ease the awkwardness of this situation.

"Uh, well, in any case, Aubrey has other matters to attend to. I'm Chloe Beale, I've been assigned to this unit to assist in whatever ways I can." Stacie smirked and looked Chloe up and down before settling her eyes back on her face. Chloe stuck her tongue out at the tall brunette woman. "Not like that."

"What can I say, it was worth a shot." Stacie grinned. Once again taking a seat, Chloe thought over what approach to take with Stacie. Today was simply her own assessment of the mental state of her patients, and familiarizing them with her.

"What compels you to pursue individuals for sex? And why so often?"

"He's a hunter, he knows what he wants. Who am I to say no?" Stacie gestured to her crotch and raised an eyebrow. Chloe thought for a moment and set her clipboard and pen down.

"You don't think you have any control over your sexual urges?" Chloe paused as Stacie seemed to think over this idea. After a few moments of silence Stacie shrugged.

"I mean, possibly. This dry spell in here is killing me. I see something I like, I go after it, I get my fix. Done deal. Move on." Stacie glanced at her nails after she finished speaking, suddenly finding them very interesting. Chloe took it as a means of shutting out some deeper problem buried within. There was no real idea what causes the underlying factor of Stacie's condition, but through treatment methods, perhaps there was some semblance of addressing the issue better.

"Alright, Stacie, I'm going to set you up with some one-on-one and group therapy session with me and the other girls once a week. I'll check back in soon." Giving a slight nod, Chloe ventured to leave the room. Just before the door closed, Stacie let out a seductive laugh.

"Dr. Beale, give my _best_ regards to Aubrey." The door clicked shut.

Two patients down and only four to go. Chloe figured some of the other doctor's would pick more conventional forms of medication, or maybe they avoided interaction with their patients at all costs, but the key importance was to make sure patients weren't feeling closed off or detached. More importantly, most of the patients in this 'special wing' were turning out to be fairly fine, they just needed some individual support. Whatever the means, Chloe was going to make a difference.

Speeding things right along, Chloe called over one of the male orderlies. Lily was next on her list. Chloe had to admit she was a little nervous about this particular patient. Four cases of arson and at least three murders, all pointing to Lily as the primary subject. Chloe entered carefully, seeing Lily restrained to the bed with a personal guard standing by. The redheaded doctor took a seat in a chair and sat closely next to Lily.

"Lily, my name is Chloe. I'm a doctor. I'm going to ask you some questions ok?" Lily's dark eyes shifted towards Chloe. Chloe gulped as she shifted through her papers. "Have you ever hurt anyone?" Lily remained silent. "There is no judgment here. I'm a doctor, I only want what's best for you." Chloe gave Lily a warm smile, but it fell on cold eyes that seemed to stare right into her soul. "Uh, have you ever injured another person intentionally?" Lily suddenly pulled on her restraints and tried to lunge forward. Chloe jumped in her seat and dropped her pen. She leaned over to pick it up, but as she leaned down, her eyes met Lily's again. There was a faint noise, one she couldn't quite pick up.

" _I know eight pressure points on the human body that can kill you in a single hit."_ Lily smiled at that.

Chloe returned to her seated position, pen in hand. The noise was unintelligible, but for some reason that only unnerved Chloe all the more. She quickly wrote " _Inconclusive_." down on the paperwork.

"Ok, I'm going to put her on a mild sedative. Keep her calm. We'll try back again some other time." Chloe stood to leave and the male orderlies would proceed with her task.

Chloe took a deep sigh. While there were certainly the easier cases, some of these had her jobs cut out for her. Having the degree, but no real clinical experience had her feeling like she was blindly stumbling around. As she leaned against the corridor wall, working up the nerve to proceed with the mental evaluations, she found her eyes drifting once more to the door of Beca Mitchell. Beca was the last patient should be seeing, but why was she so intriguing to Chloe? Chloe shook her head and decided to get through the rounds quickly.

Cynthia Rose was up next. Chloe had read her file a bit more carefully. When dealing with someone with impulse control disorder, it was plausible that the person could become incredibly agitated when that object of compulsion is taken away. Chloe entered the room and noticed immediately that Cynthia Rose was pacing the room. Chloe closed the door behind her before addressing her.

"Cynthia Rose, I'm Dr. Beale. How are you feeling today?" Cynthia Rose glanced over at Chloe before walking straight up to her.

"Fine, good. Have you talked to Amy yet? Is that your natural hair color? It can't be right?" Even though Cynthia Rose stood still in front of Chloe, she could tell by the way she was tapping her fingers on her leg that she was still irritable. Chloe reached out hesitantly and placed a calming hand on her shoulder. Cynthia Rose glanced down at it and back up. It didn't seem like she was going to lash out.

"Let's not pay attention to that. Let's focus on you. How long has it been since you gambled? Are you coping?" Chloe took a seat, as Cynthia Rose continued to pace.

"A week, no, a day? Maybe a few hours. I need something. I need that thrill, the rush. You know? That feeling of winning. But they won't let me have anything in here. No cards, games, nothing to really bet with. It's eating me alive. You wanna make a bet? I bet I can guess your favorite song. Yeah? No?" Cynthia Rose finally sat down on the edge of her bed, her head in her hands. Chloe sat on the edge of her chair. "I'm so messed up."

"Admitting you have a problem is the first step. I promise, I can make a difference. You are stronger than this." Cynthia Rose looked up at Chloe, vulnerability in her eyes. Chloe's determination shined brightly in her own and Cynthia Rose turned a smile up at that.

"Alright, I trust you." Chloe nodded and wrote down her recommended treatment in Cynthia Rose's file.

"Ok, I'm going to give you a new experimental drug called "Clomipramine". Just a small dosage, and we'll monitor your health carefully. But I also think you would benefit from some behavioral therapy session with me. We've got this." For once, Cynthia Rose had a semblance of hope that things were going to get better. Chloe placed a hand on her shoulder reassuringly and exited the room. Jessica, or was it Ashley, was up next. Chloe wasn't sure what to expect with someone facing a multiple personality disorder. Best way to get this over was to face it head on.

Before Chloe even entered the room she could clearly hear shouting going on. Was there a fight? She quickly took action and opened the door only to see a blonde woman sitting in her chair shouting at the walls.

"No it's your fault. If you weren't always on your high horse then people would respect me! Oh don't you go blaming this on me this was all your fault. I'm not the reason I'm here. Well I'm not the reason I'm in here either!" Finally the blonde haired woman grew quiet. She was hugging herself, brooding. Chloe knocked on the door, grasping the woman's attention. "What do you want?"

"Uh, hi. I'm Dr. Beale. I don't think we've met, and you are?" Chloe was approaching this very cautiously, unsure if the woman would react violently to someone poking a hole in her current relatable identity.

"Jessica." Chloe let out a breath she had been holding and finally addressed her.

"Jessica. Hi. Is it just us here? Or do you maybe have a friend?" Chloe smiled, trying to put the other girl at ease." Jessica was quiet, reserved. She seemed rather easy going.

"That's fine. But I really would like to meet her. She wouldn't have to be afraid of me." The ginger cautiously approached but the woman withdrew back.

"Leave us alone. We don't want your help." The woman looked up angrily. This was a distinct mood shift, mostly likely triggered from Chloe's attempt to move closer. Chloe raised her hands in defense.

"Hey, hey, it's alright. I'm sorry, I didn't meant to startle you. Is there anything you need at the moment?" The girl shook her head and curled in on herself. Chloe had enough of her evaluation to satisfy her, and left the girl alone. There wasn't any real medicinal treatments that would work for you, but maybe therapy. The male orderly waiting outside nodded to her. "Arrange for her to meet with me for group and individual therapy. Thank you."

Finally, Chloe approached the last door. Her heart was beating out of her chest, and her palms had grown sweaty. Chloe was nervous. Why? She didn't know. She turned the key in the lock, hearing the tumblers turn slowly. The door creaked open, and Chloe entered the room.

Beca sat, her knees pulled up to her chest and her head resting on her arms on top of them. Her gaze shifted to Chloe's as she entered. Deep blue eyes met bright blue. Once more they found themselves locked in a staring contest. Chloe was the first to break it.

"Beca." Beca flinched at her own name, turning her gaze away. Chloe slowly made her way forward, her footsteps echoing on the concrete floor. Chloe cautiously took a seat at the edge of Beca's bed. "Beca?" This time her name was enough to get her to look back at her. "I'm Chloe."

Beca remained silent, and her body language never changed either. She was closed off, reserved. Chloe reached out hesitantly, and took one of Beca's hands. Beca flinched away from the contact immediately, but Chloe started rubbing calming circles with her thumb on Beca's hand. After some reluctance, Beca allowed the contact.

"Beca. I want to help you. We all do. But you have to let us in. You have to let _me_ in. I'm not going to hurt you. I promise. I know most of the people have written you off already, but I won't." Beca's eyes softened for just a moment. It was brief, but Chloe saw some of her walls come down in that moment. Beca uncurled from her position and drew herself away from Chloe. Chloe stood, and moved with her. Something inside her drove her to push her just a little further. "I'm not lying to you, I swear." Chloe's hand touched Beca's shoulder for just a second, but it was long enough for Beca to spin Chloe around and pin her up against the wall. In her eyes, Chloe saw despair, and vulnerability. Fear, concern, but not anger. Beca's gave was so intense, it took Chloe's breath away. Beca drew her face close to Chloe's. So close their noses were just centimeters away from one another's. Chloe eyes grew wide, but then Beca whispered something to her, only loud enough for her to hear, but it made her blood run cold.

"You don't belong here. It's not safe."

* * *

Wanted to give a big thank you to those that favorite and left comments. I'll try to post Chapter 3 fairly soon. Enjoy.


	3. Chapter 3

**Chapter 3**

Before Chloe could ask what Beca meant, two orderlies burst into the room and pulled the small brunette off of the redheaded doctor. Beca started to thrash around as the two men tried to restrain her. One was fishing around in his pocket and withdrew a small syringe. Chloe, having been standing there in shock, finally shook herself out of it. She rushed up to the man and grabbed his arm, pulling it away from the smaller girl.

"Enough! That will not be necessary! I have this under control!" The man tried to shake Chloe off of him, but the other man just shook his head. The two let Beca go and waited by the door, glaring at the two of them. Chloe sighed, turning to Beca to apologize, but the brunette was already staring back at her in disbelief. It was gone a moment later when the orderly at the door coughed and she turned to glare at him before laying down on her bed and facing away from them. Chloe looked sadly towards her and hardened her expression towards the males. Chloe laid a hand on Beca's shoulder, giving a light squeeze of comfort and apology, as she passed her on her way out of the room.

As she made her way back towards her room, what Beca had said kept repeating itself over and over in her mind. _You don't belong here. It's not safe._ What had she meant by that? But then again, Beca was a patient. How much validity could be put into her statements? But her eyes…Chloe picked up her a pace. Turning around one of the corners, Chloe looked up to see Aubrey rushing towards her.

"Ah, Chloe! Good, I was just looking for you, and it looks like you got your rounds done already! Perfect! Could you accompany me back to my office?" Aubrey grasped Chloe's wrist and started leading her down the hallway. Chloe stumbled momentarily, surprised at the action, before finally managing to keep pace with the blonde woman.

"Well, actually I was going to…"

"Don't worry, it'll be quick." Aubrey's smile was warm, and Chloe found herself smiling back. She nodded and just followed her back to the large office room.

Aubrey took a seat once more behind her desk, gesturing for Chloe to sit across from her. She placed her reading glasses back on and extended her hand for Chloe's files. Chloe's confusion was obvious, but she handed over the patient files in her hand. For what seemed like ages, there was nothing more than silence between the two. Chloe found herself fidgeting in her seat.

"Your treatment methods are a bit…strange." Chloe jumped as Aubrey broke the silence all of a sudden. Aubrey was simply looking at her, arms crossed over the files, and reading glasses hanging loosely on her face. Chloe couldn't seem to avoid the invasive stare.

"I'm not entirely sure what you mean. Those are fairly standard psychosocial treatment plans. Studies have shown vast improvement in an individual's self-positivity and mental cognitive behavior. Most of these patients in my care don't need invasive therapy or medication." Chloe raised an eyebrow in confusion. Every standard psychiatrist should know this. Aubrey clucked her tongue and looked back down at the paperwork. Aubrey smiled tightly at Chloe.

"Dr. Beale. I realize you're new here, and it's good to see you're adjusting. But here at Barden Asylum, we have strict…traditions we have to adhere to. Rules and restrictions to follow, you understand." Chloe shook her head.

"I think we need to adapt to changing times. There has been lots of progress with the anti-psychiatry movement recently. Those "traditional" treatments are viewed as damaging and unethical. Most patients don't even show improvement. You still have those at Barden?" The redhead's eyes grew wide, her mouth falling open in utter disbelief. Aubrey twiddled her thumbs, almost appearing at a loss for words.

"Barden has operated under its own code of ethics since it was established in 1907 as a private institution. But rest assured, we get results. We don't put much faith into activist groups such as those. And until I get the go ahead from Barden's benefactor to fund the necessary updates to both the policy, medical expenses, and equipment, I am under no obligation to alter those standard methods. I understand your concern Chloe, I'm not heartless, but I have no authority on this matter. My hands are tied. I'm sorry." Aubrey removed her glasses and looked sadly at the dejected redhead. It looked like someone just kicked her puppy. "If it makes you feel any better, you can proceed to treating the patients however you please. I just can't fund it on a mass scale."

Chloe couldn't believe this. How could the facility operate on its own code of ethics? If the facility was opened in 1907, how outdated was the treatment that people were getting? Beca was right, something wasn't right here. Chloe suddenly felt sick to her stomach.

"Oh, and…about Beca Mitchell." Chloe snapped to attention at the mention of her. Did she say that out loud? "I'm taking the initiative to get her a transfer, we might have a neighboring facility that would take…"

"NO!" Aubrey looked a little taken aback but raised an eyebrow. Chloe blushed. "I mean, no, no it's fine. She's not violent with me. I can help her. It's fine." Aubrey glanced at her for a few moments more before shaking her head. She crumpled up a piece of paper she had on her desk and threw it in the trash.

"Alright, she's your responsibility, Chloe." Chloe did smile at that at least. There was more to Beca, and she needed to figure out what it was. Beca knew something.

"Dr. Posen, I'm sorry about this, but I really have to go. Oh, and Stacie says hello." Chloe's tone was slightly bitter as she picked up her files to leave. Aubrey's face showed blatant shock at the bubbly doctor's animosity. Chloe calmly walked to the door, but slammed it a bit too hard while leaving. She may have been happy about keeping Beca in the facility, but she still couldn't get over the other news.

Aubrey may be an uptight person, but how could she be so cruel? Half of these people were probably in here because they're an embarrassment to their family, or someone is trying to keep them quiet. They're sane. They needed verbal therapy. But Aubrey wasn't trying to come off cold, at least, she didn't think so. Otherwise she would have shut down her plans to pursue cognitive behavioral therapy, and more importantly, ignored her request to keep Beca. So, the real question was, why was the benefactor of Barden Asylum refusing to update the facility?

Walking through the long corridors to her room, Chloe noticed it had grown rather dark out. There was a light pitter patter against the stained glass windows. It must be raining. Turning the doorknob to her room, Chloe entered and quickly locked the door again. It was colder at night, she took notice of. She changed into some pajamas and tied a robe around her before she lit the fireplace in her room. Making her way over to the phone, Chloe dialed the ever so familiar number. After only three rings her mother answered.

" _Hello?"_ Chloe smiled into the phone.

"Hello, mother. It's me. I'm sorry I forgot to call the other day, I was kind of busy. But, I got to start working right away." Chloe held the phone closer to her ear as she took a seat in the large red plush chair that was in front of the fire. She tucked her legs underneath her and twirled the phone cord in her hand.

" _Oh, that's alright, dear. It's good to hear you're fitting in well. It is going well isn't it? None of those freaks have tried anything have they?"_ Chloe rested her head against her hand and withheld a sigh.

"No, nothing like that. It's not quite what I expected…there's this one patient though…" Chloe trailed off at the sound of static on the line.

" _Ch-bzzt-can you he-bzzt-breaking up..."_ Chloe pulled the phone away from her ear at the sound of the dial tone. Chloe placed the phone back on its receiver, figuring there was no use in calling back with the phones out. Chloe curled up more in the chair and started at the burning embers that danced in the hearth. It cast a warm glow in the otherwise dark room. Outside the storm raged, with cracking booms of thunder and the repetitive rhythm of rain hitting the roof.

Chloe wasn't sure how long she had sat there, but the fire had started to die down a bit. Her eyes glanced at the clock and saw it read 11:52pm. Chloe rubbed her eyes and stretched as she rose from the chair. She put out the fire and started to prepare for bed.

Something rolled across the floor and hit Chloe in the foot. She glanced down at the floor, but it was hard to see anything in the dark. She knelt down and felt around on the floor until she found what had hit her. She picked it up and held it to her face.

"A marble?" There was a knock that came from the door, making Chloe turn her head abruptly. Chloe sorted through the nightstand by her bed and withdrew a flashlight. She flipped the switch and watched the light flicker momentarily before remaining turned off. Chloe hit it a few times and the light finally turned on. Chloe's breathing became slightly shallow as she slowly approached the door. She looked through the little peephole, but didn't see anyone immediately. Another marble slid under the door and hit her foot. This time she unlocked the door and opened it.

Looking left and right down the hallway, she didn't see anyone immediately off the bat. Chloe took a deep breath and stepped into the corridor. Another marble rolled towards her and she figured someone must really want her attention. But, who? And why so indirectly? Chloe headed in the direction that the marble came from.

The flashlight in her hand only illuminated so much, and sound was limited with the roaring storm. Not a soul was out and about this late at night, and though that was to be expected, it did nothing for her nerves. As she passed a grandfather clock, the clock struck midnight and three loud 'bongs' were heard chiming one after the other. Chloe's pace sped up.

As she was passing a hallway, another marble rolled her way. She turned down the hallway and followed. Each time she would come to someplace that led her in more than one way, another marble would roll towards her and she followed accordingly. The hallways seemed to go on forever. Chloe took to alternating between humming and singing softly to try to take some of the edge off.

" _And in the dark I found, I stop and I won't fly_ … _And I sing along, I sing along, then I sing along…hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hmm hm hmm hm hm hmm….I'm stuck in the dark… but you're my flashlight_ … _You're gettin' me….gettin' me…through the…night_." Chloe's song was broken up and her voice was shaking slightly. She clutched the flashlight in her hand tighter as she finally came to her destination. It was a door, wide open with steps leading down into a dark stairwell. The final marble sat in front of it.

Chloe gulped and started her journey down the spiral staircase. She had never been in this part of the asylum for, and she definitely can't say she wanted to be. But her curiosity kept getting the better of her. She kept her balance as her hand brushed against the cold and clammy walls. The stone floor was cold against her bare feet, but she was more bothered by the moldy smell that was coming from wherever she was going.

As she reached the bottom, the floor was wet from rain that had flooded in from the outside. Her nose crinkled up in discomfort. She flashed her flashlight around the room and took note that it appeared to be for storage of some sort. She took a few steps forward.

"Hello?" She whispered into the darkness, her voice echoing off the walls. There was a lot of large boxes and items just sitting down here that the person or persons trying to get her attention could be hiding anyway. This did not ease the tension she was feeling.

There a loud crack of thunder, and lightning flashed brightly outside the windows. Chloe jumped violently, and dropped her flashlight. As it hit the ground with a loud clatter, the light turned off, leaving her all alone in the dark. She suddenly felt a presence behind her, but she never managed to let out a scream, as two hands clamped themselves down on her mouth. Chloe had never felt more terrified in her life.

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Once again thank you guys so much for the comments, favs, and to all of you that are following the story. I appreciate every one of you, and I'm really glad you guys are enjoying this story. See you all in Chapter 4!


	4. Chapter 4

**Chapter 4**

Struggling against the hands, Chloe finally managed to turn around, but the darkness covered the assailant's face. She tried pushing the person away, but the person was stronger than they looked. Finally the person drew Chloe close to her and spoke.

"Chloe, stop, it's me. Beca." Chloe's eyes grew wide and she stopped struggling immediately. She wanted to say something but it was kind of pointless with the hands pressed against her mouth. "I'll remove my hands but you have to be quiet. They'll hear you!" Chloe nodded and Beca slowly pulled her hands away. Chloe knelt down and picked up her flashlight that had fallen to the floor and flipped it on. Beca became illuminated in light, a slight smile on her face. "Uh, hey." She waved awkwardly. Chloe blinked.

"What are you doing here?!" Beca frantically placed her hands back over Chloe's mouth in a panicked manner.

"SHHHH! If they catch me down here, I'm screwed!" Beca sighed and removed her hands again. Chloe giggled and nodded her head. Beca reached into her pocket and pulled out a set of the orderly's key. She twirled them around her index finger casually a smirk on her face. Chloe grinned.

"And just _how_ did you get _those_?" Chloe reached out to take them, but Beca pulled back in time for her to miss.

"Ah, ah, ah. First, you tell me why you haven't left yet. You seriously need to get out of here." Beca crossed her arms, staring Chloe down in a determined fashion.

"Beca, I know that Barden is outdated. I can use my status as a doctor to help get the policy changed. I'm sure the benefactor would just listen if-"

"What? No. You can't do that. The benefactor is…let's just say that will make things ten times worse." Beca looked away from Chloe, her body language tense and closed off. Chloe took a step forward and wrapped Beca in a hug. Beca jolted and tried to get out of the embrace, but Chloe refused to let go. "Dude, what are you doing?" Chloe released her.

"You looked like you needed a hug?" Chloe tilted her head, smiling. Beca scoffed, but a blush was clearly visible on her face.

"Y-yeah, well I didn't. So." Beca finally looked sideways towards Chloe and gestured at her. "This isn't about me! This place is crazy. You need to call a cab and get out of here before they realize you're actually trying to help people here! We're doing just fine without someone trying to be a saint and make a difference." There was a pause as Chloe just tried to analyze that statement. Essentially she had no real idea if Beca was sane or not, but something in her told her she wasn't like the other patients. But, more importantly, what would be the problem of assisting the patients?

"I am a doctor, Beca, that's kind of what I do for a living." Chloe placed her hands on her hips and narrowed her eyes at the small brunette. "What do you mean I can't help people here? Isn't that what Dr. Posen, Dr. McLaggen and the other doctors are all trying to do here?"

"Chloe. It's not that, really. They are helping, but they know where the limits are and they won't cross them. I'm not so sure you won't…do you know why I'm in here? Do I seem insane to you?" Beca held Chloe's gaze. Chloe's eyes finally softened and she shook her head.

"I only know that your father had you admitted. You seem perfectly sane, if not a little abrasive." There was a small smile that graced Beca's face, but it was gone just as quickly. Beca grabbed Chloe's shoulders tightly, trying to convey her own desperation.

"Chloe, my father put me in here because I'm a disgrace to the family. He is well aware that Barden still uses treatments like electroshock therapy and ice baths until you're numb, even if it is just in extreme cases. He wants me to learn to "behave." If he finds out you're trying to help me, it won't just be me he's trying to hurt anymore and you seem like a really good person." Beca's face was once again close to Chloe's, warm breath circulating them as they stood still. Chloe's vibrant blue eyes looked sadly into Beca's deep blue. Her hand reached up, cupping Beca's cheek in her hand. A tear escaped Chloe's eye as she smiled.

"That's terrible, Beca. I'm so sorry you're having to go through this. But I won't let anything bad happen to you, I promise." Beca shook her head and angrily stepped back.

"You can't promise that." Her jaw and fists clenched tightly, and it looked like tears were brimming on her eyes, but Beca wasn't the type to break down in front of someone. "Why do you care so much? Dr. Posen said she was going to send me somewhere else anyway. Somewhere where I couldn't be hurt anymore. It was going to be fine. She was just having some problems getting the papers approved with my father in the way."

Chloe was taken aback by that. She hadn't once thought that Aubrey could have been trying to help Beca. A sudden wave of guilt came over Chloe for her actions. She reached out and took Beca's hand. Determination filled her as she gave a light squeeze. "I care because you're…different. I can't explain it, but there's something about you that I'm drawn to. But, Beca, you'll never be free of your father if all you do is run. Let me "treat" you. I can get you signed for your release and then we can contact the authorities." Beca laughed bitterly.

"You think the benefactor, Dr. Mitchell, is going to let the only patient he really cares about in this facility go? If you do, you're more insane than I'm "supposed" to be. Why do you think he pours so much money into this place, but not enough to keep it humane? It's because he wants me in here, and he wants to make sure that my will is thoroughly broken. The only way the transfer was going to get me out of here was because Aubrey promised she would falsify them. "Beca Mitchell" would remain facilitated here, and my father mailed reports, and "Jessica Stanley" would be long gone. I don't know what happened." Chloe bit her lip nervously. The benefactor of Barden Asylum was Beca's father? Beca seemed to have lost hope and Chloe knew it was all her fault.

"Beca…I told Aubrey to keep you here. I didn't know, I'm so sorry." Beca's face showed visible shock, before hurt, before she finally seemed to shut down entirely. Chloe knew she had to do something immediately. She pulled Beca in for another hug and latched on tight. "Beca, please don't run. Aubrey left you in my care. I can help you. I know you don't think I can, but I can make this right. Please give me a chance." Chloe pulled back and rested her forehead on Beca's. She could see how tired and hurt Beca had become, closed off from a life she had been subjected to not of her own accord. Chloe wondered how much suffering she had been through before she had arrived. Chloe gave her a bright smile. "Okay?" Beca seemed to hesitate, but ever so slightly, smiled at the redhead.

"Okay." Chloe grinned and moved her hands from around Beca to her hands.

"You know, I think, we're going to be really fast friends." Beca let out a laugh at that and finally pulled away.

"Whatever you say, Beale." Beca pocketed the keys and started heading towards the stairwell. Chloe laughed and trailed behind her.

"How did you get the marbles anyway?" Beca's eyes grew wide and she looked everywhere but at Chloe.

"Uhhhhh….hmmmm….yeah. Let's just say I found them. And, uh, if someone, oh I don't know, like Cynthia Rose asks you were her stash of marbles she was going to use to make a bet with Lily went, you know to say that Beca Mitchell had nothing to do with it. Got it?" Chloe chuckled and shook her head.

Chloe walked Beca back to her room in the Special Units ward, making sure to avoid the routes of the night guards and orderlies that patrolled the hall. Luckily it seemed most people were in bed and the ones that were supposed to be doing their job, clearly weren't doing a very good one. As Beca entered her room, she turned to Chloe one last time. "Hey, thanks Chloe. For everything." Chloe grinned and held her hand out.

"You're welcome. But, you know you're going to have to give me back those keys right?" Beca smirked and winked at Chloe.

"Or am I? Goodnight Chloe." Beca closed the door leaving Chloe to place a hand on her hip and roll her eyes. Beca Mitchell certainly was something. Chloe felt a small flutter of joy in her stomach, but paid it no mind. Instead she started to head back to her room, getting together a game plan for how best to help this situations and treat all her other patients. She was certainly starting to uncover more than she expected to here.

The next morning, Chloe dressed quickly, not having forgotten the conversation that took place in the storage room. The rain had died down a bit, but overall it seemed to still be drizzling out. The first thing on Chloe's agenda was to stop in at Aubrey's office and not only apologize to Aubrey, but to figure out if she could get her to dish out any more information. However, before she managed to reach the office, she bumped into Benji. He seemed to be blushing and incredibly flustered.

"Oh, I'm so sorry Dr. Beale. I wasn't watching where I was going!" Chloe waved it off as nothing.

"It's okay, Benji. What has you all out of sorts?" If it were remotely possible, Benji blushed harder.

"I…well that is…I mean…DR. POSEN NEEDS TO SEE YOU!" Before he could say anymore, Benji took off running down the hall, startling some of the doctors and patients that he passed. Chloe raised an eyebrow in confusion.

"Uhhhh, okay….thanks, Benji." As the man disappeared out of her view, Chloe wondered what it could be that Aubrey wanted to see her about now.

Stepping into the increasingly familiar room, she noticed that for once Aubrey wasn't alone. She was happily chatting with a young woman with brown hair sitting across from her in a nurse's outfit. Chloe knocked on the door, gathering both the attention of Aubrey and the young lady. Aubrey smiled at her and stood from her seat.

"Ah, Chloe, you're just in time. I have a surprise for you!" Aubrey cleared her throat, indicating that the woman should also stand. When she turned to face Chloe, Chloe took note of just how young she really was. The girl had to be no older than 18.

"Dr. Beale, as an official doctor here at Barden Asylum, you are assigned a personal nurse that will help you with your daily activities. So I would like to introduce—" Before Aubrey could finish speaking, the brunette stuck her hand out with a large smile.

"Hi, I'm Emily Junk. I look forward to working with you Dr. Beale. My mother used to be a licensed nurse here some time ago. She said it was some of the most fulfilling years of her life." Chloe grinned brightly at the young woman. It was nice to see some enthusiasm, much along the lines of her own. Chloe to the offered hand and shook it happily.

"I look forward to working with you as well, Emily. I'm sure we'll be a good team." Emily was like a small bouncing ball of energy. Much like Chloe and her degree, Emily had to have gotten her nursing license recently. Still, she felt like this would be a learning experience for the both of them. If anything, things just got a whole lot more interesting here at Barden. "Are you ready to get started?" Emily nodded enthusiastically at Chloe. Giving a nod in return, Chloe grabbed the patient's files and headed towards the door. "Great! Let's get to it!"

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So, here's chapter 4. I feel like I went a little OoC, but not too bad? I don't know. I hope you guys still like it. Things should be getting pretty interesting here soon. Kind of a slow chapter. Just a little warning, it may be like a week before I can post again, I've got a lot of stuff coming up. Thanks you guys.


	5. Chapter 5

**Chapter 5**

After rounding up all six of the girls, Chloe and Emily gathered them in one of the therapy rooms and placed their chairs in a circle. Many of the girls seemed disinterested, but came willingly. Crossing her legs, Chloe leaned forward and clasped her hands together.

"Alright, girls, it's been a few days since I started some of you on my recommended treatment, and for others this might be your first time really getting to express some of the problems that have been bothering you. If you'll all remember, I'm Chloe, or Dr. Beale more formally." With a small gesturing wave and a bright smile, Chloe ushered Emily over to take the seat next to her. The young nurse happily bounced her way to the open seat and waved at the group. "And this is Emily, who will be working alongside me." The group casually mumbled their hellos to the girl. Emily seemed to fidget awkwardly in her seat but stopped upon a reassuring nod from Chloe.

"So when's lunch?" A couple of the girls laughed at Amy's outburst. The redheaded doctor chuckled along.

"After this therapy session, Amy. But I'd like to start our first meeting together by discussing with each other some of our problems, or maybe talking about something that we would like to seek advice on. Self-evaluation and outside input can be crucial aspects of group therapy. Would anyone like to go first?" All of the girls remained silent. Watching each of their statures, Chloe took note of a few things. Amy seemed to be watching the clock intently. Cynthia Rose and Stacie kept exchanging looks between each other. Jessica was rocking from side to side in her chair while trying to scoot as far away from Lily as she could. And Beca just say back in her chair with her arms crossed. Her eyes made contact with Chloe's but she immediately looked away. It seemed like no one was going to talk. "Ok, Stacie, why don't you start?"

"Uh, sure. But, I don't really have a problem." Of course most of the girls seemed too bored to really be paying attention. There had to be some way to get them to start opening up.

"Ok, then why do you think your family sought for your treatment?" Stacie twirled some of her hair around her finger and thought for a minute.

"Ok, I'll confess something. I have a lot of sex."

"Yeah, we know Stacie." Amy piped up. Stacie rolled her eyes and glared at Amy for a minute.

"Only because I just told you." Crossing her arms, Stacie leaned back in her chair. "Besides, it's not like it's hurting anybody." Chloe started clapping, much to the other's confusion. A second later, Emily followed suite, and then hesitantly the others joined.

"That's good, Stacie! But why do you have a lot of sex?" Chloe tried prompting a further response from Stacie, but the young woman just shrugged.

"Because it feels good. That's literally not even a problem. But, if you could totally tell Dr. Posen that I am in _dire_ need of her attention, I think I may just be cured." Stacie smiled and winked at Chloe before relaxing comfortable back in her seat. Chloe figured she wouldn't get much further with the girl for today, considering she appeared to have gone into a day dream that Chloe didn't fully feel like delving into; following the assumption it probably involved a certain colleague.

"Okay, well, thank you for sharing Stacie. Cynthia Rose? How about you? Do you have anything to share with the group?" Cynthia Rose stood from her chair and took a deep breath. She nodded at Chloe, giving her confirmation that she had something to say.

"Yeah, we're all friends here, right Doc? Les-bihonest." Again, Amy appeared to attempt comic relief, only allowing it to backfire without notice. Chloe watched as Cynthia Rose raised an eyebrow at Amy, but nodded anyway. She was not going to psych herself out.

"Alright, well, I have a _serious_ gambling problem, one that has not only hurt me, but also a lot of people. And it stems from when I broke up with my girlfriend some time ago. But I've been taking the medicine and it seems to be helping me really come to terms with a lot of things and control my actions. But I've still got a long way to go."

" _Whoop there it is."_ Once again everyone looked over at Amy but she appeared to be looking everywhere but at anyone else. Cynthia Rose paused again shaking her head at Amy. Chloe started clapping and cheering, the rest of the girls joining in shortly after.

"Woo! Good job Cynthia Rose! The first step to recovery is admitting you have a problem! I'm proud of you for stepping out of your comfort zone!" Cynthia Rose smiled at Chloe's praise and nodded towards the other girls. But right before she took a seat, she turned back to everyone.

"Oh, and uh, I seem to have lost my marbles…" Before she could finish her sentence the room burst out in a chorus of snickering. "…nevermind." Beca's eyes shifted over to Chloe and a slight smirk was on her face. Chloe grinned back and winked. They'll just keep that between them.

After Cynthia Rose took her seat, Chloe looked around the room, waiting for the next volunteer. When everyone else seemed disinterested in talking, Chloe prompted them again. "Anyone else feel up to sharing?" Lily shifted her eyes towards the redheaded doctor. Even though she was tethered to her chair by restraints she still managed to lean forward in her chair a bit.

 _"I ate my twin in the womb._ " Lily grinned, but everyone else seemed to look just a little shocked. Jessica moved her chair away from Lily and Chloe coughed awkwardly.

"Ahem, ok, since no one seems to want to go next, Amy why don't you tell us all something." The redhead gestured towards the Australian who shifted her eyes around the room.

"Well, I mean, I'm an open book. I'm not really living if I'm not one hundred percent honest." Placing her chin in her hand Chloe waited for Amy to proceed. She was already aware that Amy most likely wasn't suffering from PTSD, but it was still slightly confusing as to her purpose in here.

"So you don't have anything to share?" Amy went to wipe away a tear, that didn't even appear to be there, but who was anyone else to really say anything.

"And I didn't really get shot with a burrito …" Chloe almost jumped out of her seat in excitement but then Amy finished her sentence. "It was really a chimichanga." Chloe sighed and leaned back in her seat. Emily looked at Chloe and didn't seem to understand the doctors confusion. She leaned over and nudged Chloe with her elbow.

" _Are you ok? When do we actually get to the real treatment? I mean, this is great and all, but is this really helping?"_ Emily, being basically as new as Chloe was to the field, wasn't entirely sure what to expect when she signed on, but it wasn't necessarily this. But she wasn't one to immediately question a doctor's medical practices. Chloe grinned warmly at the girl and whispered back.

 _"This allows them to work through their problems in a communal way. While we can certainly maintain medicinal treatment, a lot of them just need to overcome it on themselves. It gives them a sense of accomplishment."_ Chloe gave Emily a thumbs up and the nurse nodded eagerly in return. She had a feeling she was going to enjoy it here. Taking another look around, Chloe saw Jessica was raising her hand. "Yes! Jessica!" The girl shook her head. "Oh! I'm sorry. Ashley." This time she nodded.

"We have nothing to contribute at this time." Though it seemed like quite an odd thing to say, Chloe simply nodded. Everyone had shared except for Beca. Glancing towards the small brunette, the doctor briefly considered the possibilities of thoughts going through her patient's head. Why didn't Beca want to talk? Chloe knew her situation, but even still, surely she could talk about something. The smaller girl seemed to just want to keep to herself. Her body language was reserved. Arms crossed, eyes focused on the ground, disinterested attitude. Chloe bit her lip.

"Beca?" The brunette looked up briefly. "Do you want to share anything?" Beca shrugged and looked away again. Chloe sighed and nodded. Clapping her hands together she noticed their time was up for that session. "Alright girls, I really think we've made some progress. We're going to get a bit deeper on discussion next time, alright? Emily will show you back to your rooms." The young nurse ushered the patients out of the room, leaving Chloe sitting in her chair still thinking. She was happy with some of the progression, but she needed to really find some way to break some of these other girls out of their shells. But also, why was Beca so detached today? When they talked in the storage room, Beca seemed friendly, if not forthcoming with information. And then when it came to the other girls, she seemed like she spoke to most of them. Chloe needed to stop by later, but not while the guards and other doctors were alert.

Standing from her seat, Chloe moved toward the door and headed out into the hallway. Her shoes tapped lightly on the stone floor. She smiled and waved, greeting any doctors or nurses she passed on her way out into the courtyard. It was drizzling again. The redheaded briefly wondered just how often it actually rained here. The fog seemed to never leave, but the sun only shined on brief occasions. The doctor leaned against a cold wall that had an overhang above it, preventing the rain from soaking her. The air was misty and thick, but each inhale was cold like ice in her lungs. She could smell freshly cut grass carried on the light winds. She didn't know how long she had stood there, just staring at the falling rain that landed with light taps on the ground. A hand was lightly placed on her arm, causing her to turn her head and break out of her dazed state. Emily was looking at her with a concerned expression. The arm was withdrawn and Chloe turned her gaze back outside.

"I thought today went well, didn't you?" Emily came to stand next to Chloe, her hands clasped in front of her. Chloe noticed that Emily was smiling again, always smiling. It was nice to have such friendly company in a place so bleak. She found it rather contagious and soon there was a similar expression on her face.

"I did. But I had hoped for better. We won't get any breakthroughs if we aren't a little persistent in our efforts. But, at least the girls seem open to trying this. God only knows what they were subjected to prior to my arrival." Chloe shivered in fear of the thoughts running through her mind of all the possibilities. But, there was no need to scare Emily off when she seemed too naïve to understand the darker aspects of psychotherapy. Emily didn't seem to press her on the matter at least.

"Dr. Beale—" Chloe shook her head.

"Please, just Chloe." Emily nodded.

"Chloe…why don't we go inside and get something to eat?" Chloe nodded and headed back into the building with the nurse. They headed towards the cafeteria and took a seat at a table that also happened to have Luke and Aubrey seated there. Chloe and Emily occasionally took bites of their food, as it appeared Aubrey and Luke had finished quite some time ago.

"Ah, good to see you both. How has your first day been, Emily? Chloe whipping you into shape!" Emily swallowed a bite of food and nodded.

"Chloe has been a very good doctor to work under. It's interesting to see the workings of a real asylum. Most of my training was never really hands on with real people, so this has been a great experience so far. I'm really learning a lot!" Chloe perked up at Emily's enthusiasm. Aubrey seemed satisfied with the answer as well.

"Well, it's been good talking to you Aubrey. Chloe, Emily. But I really have to get back to those troublemakers in the Men's Ward before they start causing a riot. I'll be seeing you later." Before standing from the table to leave, Luke took Aubrey's hand and placed a light kiss on it, causing a light dusting of pink to rise on her cheeks. Luke waved at the other women before depositing his food tray and heading out the door, hands in his pockets. Despite the initial impression, Chloe was starting to warm up to a lot of the staff here at Barden.

"Oh, Chloe, how are your patients doing?" Upon hearing Aubrey's question, Chloe remembered she had yet to address the issue of Beca with Aubrey. However, Emily was still here and even though the girl seemed innocent enough, Chloe wasn't sure how much she could disclose with her. Aubrey was aware of the situation. Best to keep it between the two for now, she would just have to find Aubrey later. Chloe took a bite of her sandwich and ate it quickly.

"I'm thinking of changing a few of the girl's treatment methods to see if we can make any progress, but therapy seems to be a good outlet for a lot of the girls. I think we can really make a difference." Aubrey nodded, and her lips pulled into a genuine smile. That made Chloe feel really good inside. Maybe this wasn't all bad.

Checking the time, Aubrey noticed it had just gone a quarter past three. She quickly picked up her things and bid the two girls adieu. Chloe and Emily finished their trays shortly after. And started to make their way towards the housing wing. Making sure that Emily got to her room without confusion, Chloe waved.

"I hope you settle in alright. I shouldn't need any more assistance for the rest of the evening. You did very well on your first day, take pride in that. Thank you, Emily." The young girl's mega-watt smile could not be any bigger even if Chloe herself were trying to best her. Emily gave her thanks and with a small click, her door shut. Finally having the time to talk to Aubrey, Chloe rushed to the Administrator's office to talk to the Head Doctor.

She rounded the corners, almost half expecting to run into Benji again, but luckily the man seemed to not be running around the building today. Chloe knocked lightly and entered the lounge again. Another shocking surprise is Aubrey wasn't sitting at her desk pouring over paperwork. She was, instead, sitting on a large black couch reading a rather thick novel. Chloe briefly caught sight of the title " _Gone with the Wind."_ before Aubrey closed the book and hid it behind her back. Being rather versed in literature, Chloe smirked and took a seat next to the blushing blond.

"I didn't take you for the angsty romantic type, Dr. Posen! Are you reading for pure pleasure? Or are you caught in a rather conflicting love triangle?" Aubrey spluttered for a second before huffing at Chloe.

"That's nonsense. I'm just reading what could possibly be one of the best novels of all time!" Chloe stared at Aubrey in a manner that was beyond belief.

"So, which is it? The lover you can't have but desperately want, or the doter you can have but don't love?" There was a brief moment of shock that appeared in Aubrey's eyes and Chloe knew she had got her with that one. The tall blonde woman crossed her arms and shook her head.

"No! That's not…No! It's nothing like that! Did you have a point to your visit? Or are you here to mock my choice in literature?" Chloe lightly chuckled.

"Calm down, Aubrey. I'm only teasing. I actually really enjoy that novel too. I hope you don't find the ending as bittersweet as I did. I think love stories deserve more than those kinds of endings. Tragedy is for the lonely hearted." Chloe seemed sincere enough, and Aubrey found she couldn't stay mad at the redhead. It seemed that the head doctor was still capable of making friends after all, despite her controlling nature. Chloe fidgeted for a moment and then looked at Aubrey very seriously. Sensing the change in atmosphere the blonde paid attention. "I know about Beca." Aubrey's eyes grew wide.

"Who told you? What do you know?" Aubrey looked around quickly to make sure no one else could possibly overhear this conversation. Chloe tapped her fingers together.

"Beca told me directly. I know about her father, how he is the benefactor of Barden. I know that she's sane, and I know that you were trying to move her under false pretenses so that she could have a better life and I stopped you." Chloe's heartstrings pulled as the guilt hit her strongly once more. She hated herself for having interfered in a place that could have helped better than she ever could. Aubrey placed her hand on Chloe's and shook her head.

"Chloe it's not like that. I could have easily gone through with moving Beca. But, I really thought you could help her. Beca may be sane, but she's far from happy. Do you know why she acts so violent at times? It's because she refuses to let anyone really get close to her. She's been hurt by a lot of people, Chloe. And you have this light in you…that makes people want to confide in you. A welcoming, warm fire that spreads to everyone you meet. I think Beca could really use a friend." Chloe removed her hand from Aubrey's and shook her head.

"No, please. I just want what's best for Beca. I regret ever mentioning that she should stay here. Please, proceed with the transfer." Chloe rarely would be one to be so desperate for someone to go against the rules, even the law, of a private institution, but as a doctor, she had to put her patient first. And Beca deserved a better life. This had to be done. Aubrey sighed.

"If you really want this, I'll start filling out the papers and prepare it for processing. If all goes through, Beca should be gone within the week." Chloe smiled and pulled Aubrey into a hug. The blonde, momentarily winded from Chloe's strong bear hug, awkwardly patted the redhead on the back. Pulling back Chloe grinned with excitement.

"Thank you, Aubrey! I'll tell Beca the good news as soon as I can!" Chloe quickly sped out of the room, leaving a rather confused blonde in her wake. Aubrey waved at Chloe's disappearing form as she sped down the hall towards the housing wing.

Chloe knew that she would have to wait until dark before she could talk to Beca about any of this. Too many doctors, nurses, orderlies and who knows else would be listening, and Chloe knew if anyone caught wind of what was going to happen that would mean a lot of trouble not only for her and Aubrey, but also Beca, and the redhead certainly didn't want that.

As night fell and the corridors drew dark, Chloe stepped out into the hallway with her flashlight, and headed towards the Special Units wing. She managed to sneak past the orderly that was stationed on the hall, not that it was very hard with him sleeping and all. She really had to talk to someone about late night security. Either way, as she drew closer to Beca's room, she heard faint singing. Chloe stopped to listen. The words were so quiet though, she couldn't really make them out. She placed the key in the lock and unlocked the door. The slight creak caused Beca to become alert of someone entering the room and she immediately stopped singing, which was very disappointing to Chloe.

The taller woman entered the room and saw Beca sitting on her bed again. She looked more withdrawn than she had earlier in the day. Taking a seat beside her, Chloe tucked her legs under her and warmly greeted Beca.

"Hey." Beca nodded a greeting.

"Hey." It was nice, this sort of casual interaction.

"So, you didn't share anything today." Beca shrugged. "Beca." Chloe pressed further, hoping the girl would eventually give her some details. The brunette sighed and rolled her eyes.

"It's stupid. It's just, why should I complain that my abusive father locked away his daughter because she wouldn't do as he said? That because she's not straight, she's obviously screwed up in the head. I'm not going to be what he wants me to be, Chloe. You don't understand." Beca seemed to be pulling away from Chloe, something she desperately didn't want. Chloe scooted closer and took Beca's hand in hers. Beca eyed it, but made no move to withdraw it.

"Hey, you're right. I don't understand. But, I have a lot of pressure from my family too." Beca scoffed. "No, it's true! My parents are kind of wealthy. When I told them I wanted to go to school, they told me that I didn't need to be educated. I could just marry man of equal wealth and combine our wealth to become even more prominent in status. But you know why I didn't do that Beca?" Beca smirked.

"Because you're not stupid?" Chloe rolled her eyes and smiled.

"No. Because doing that wouldn't have made me happy. I really wanted to help change people's lives for the better. So my parents helped me pay for school where I got my degree in psychiatry. I still think they're a little disappointed in me, but doing something that makes me sacrifice my identity and my happiness wasn't a life I wanted. And you being in here, you fighting for your right to be an individual is nothing short of admirable. But I'm sorry for all the suffering you have endured as a result." Chloe ran her thumb over Beca's hand and sadly looked into her eyes. Beca, feeling slightly overwhelmed could say nothing in return, but she nodded in understanding.

"I'm really glad you're my doctor, Chloe. If I had to be stuck in here, I'm glad it's with you and not some asshole." There was a tiny smile on Beca's face and Chloe managed to return one. Chloe suddenly perked up, confusing Beca slightly, but she looked so much like a free spirit when she smiled. The smaller woman almost felt the happiness rolling off her in waves.

"Speaking of which, Aubrey is going to be going through with your transfer! You're going to be getting out of here! Isn't that great!" The brunette wanted to smile, she wanted to be ecstatic, but something in her just felt a tug of sadness instead of joy. Beca wasn't sure what the feeling was, but she didn't like it. She was beginning to really enjoy seeing Chloe.

"Yeah, that's great. Thanks, Chloe." Catching on to the slight downtrodden tone in Beca's voice, the redheaded wanted to press her for answers, but figured she'd pushed enough. She needed to keep things light tonight. Thinking back to the singing she first heard when she was approaching Beca's room, an idea came to her.

"Hey, what was that song you were singing earlier?" The small brunette blushed immediately and fiddled with the end of her shirt.

"O-Oh, you heard that? I mean, I don't really sing. It's just a song I remember." Chloe inched a little closer to Beca.

"Oh, come on. I'm sure you're not that bad. I know some songs too. I'll even sing with you." Beca hesitated again, but Chloe sighed. "I'm not leaving until you sing." Beca rolled her eyes and smirked. And just as quietly as before, she began singing her song, only this time Chloe could hear her. And her voice was so beautiful, as soft as it was.

 _Fly me to the moon,_

 _Let me play among the stars,_

 _Let me see what spring is like_

 _On Jupitar and Mars_

 _In other words, Hold my hand._

 _In other words, Baby, kiss me._

For something that sounded so much like a romantic song, Beca's voice had a way of making it sound so sad. But Chloe decided to keep the same tempo, but she altered to another song, creating a sort of duet.

 _Hold me close, and hold me fast_

 _The magic spell you cast,_

 _This is La Vie En Rose_

 _And when you kiss me, Heaven sighs_

 _And though I close my eyes_

 _I see La Vie En Rose_

Beca's eyes seemed to dilate as they focused on Chloe. Her voice so clear and pristine. Not anything like the shaking singing she heard in the distance the other night when she was making her way down the hallways. Beca found herself being drawn in and continued the next bar.

 _Fill my heart with song,_

 _Let me sing forever more_

 _You're all that I long for_

 _All I worship and adore_

 _In other words, Please be true_

 _In other worse, I love you._

During all of this time, neither noticed the distance closing between them. Soon their faces were close to one another, both smiling and singing so softly between each other. It was like their eyes were locked together, and they were the only two that mattered. Just them, and the music.

 _When you press me to your heart,_

 _I'm in a world apart,_

 _A world where roses bloom_

 _And when you speak, angels sing from above_

 _Everyday words seem to turn into love songs_

 _Give your heart and soul to me,_

 _And life will always be_

 _La Vie En Rose._

Just as Chloe ended on her final bar, Beca flawlessly picked up where she had left off and the transition was seamless, creating such a beautiful song.

 _In other words, please be true_

 _In other words, I love you…_

As Beca finished the final note, their faces were so close together. Without thinking, Chloe closed the distance and her lips connected with Beca's. It was soft, and slow. Sensual. Chloe could feel her heart beating out of her chest, and time seemed to stand still. After a moment, Beca reciprocate the kiss, but that snapped Chloe out of the dream like atmosphere the two had just created. Chloe drew back, shock finally hitting her. She saw Beca in front of her, eyes still closed, as if processing things herself. The weight of the situation finally hit Chloe. She was a doctor at the facility. Even if she wanted to pursue anything with Beca she knew she couldn't. Beca may be sane, but she was still a registered patient. It wasn't proper conduct for Chloe to take that advantage. Chloe started heading towards the door and Beca finally opened her eyes. Chloe saw the flash of hurt in them, as Beca grabbed her wrist.

"Chloe, don't go. It's ok, really." Chloe shook her head.

"It's not Beca. You're a patient, this can't happen." There was a flash of something in Beca's eyes. Hurt, then anger, and then nothing. Her walls were going up and it was Chloe's fault.

"Screw the rules! What do you want?" Beca was visibly angry now, which only ate Chloe up inside with more guilt. She was getting really good at messing things up.

"I…It doesn't matter. Beca I could lose my job. This is all I have." Beca nodded, but the hurt didn't seem to leave. "We can talk about this another time, but I really have to go. I'm sorry." Beca let go of her wrist and Chloe headed out the door. The clank of the large door felt like a stake driven into her heart. What had she just done? Her feelings about it were conflicted but she didn't have time to sort through them now. She would address them in the morning. She made her way back to her room quickly and crawled into bed.

Early the next morning, there was a light knocking that came from her door. Chloe looked at the clock and saw that it was 6:00am. She had only gone to bed a few hours prior. She half dragged herself up from the bed and opened the door to see none other than Aubrey, who looked rather put together for so early standing at her door. However, her face was another matter. Aubrey was pale and her expression was panicked. She looked like she had been sweating. That woke Chloe up just a little more. She rubbed her eyes and tried her best to clear them of sleep.

"Aubrey? Why are you here so early? Are the patients ok?" Aubrey grabbed Chloe's shoulders rather harshly and shook her a little. Chloe seemed even more concerned now. Sure, Aubrey could be a little intense, but her anxiety had to be through the roof.

"Chloe, I'm shutting the plan down. Beca is not going to be transferred. We have to handle a much bigger problem." Chloe gulped. Did Aubrey know?!

"W-What?" Aubrey's blue eyes stared harshly into Chloe's. Chloe felt like her very soul was being pierced. What was going on?

"Beca's father is on his way to Barden."

* * *

Hey guys, sorry for the long wait. Last week was my birthday and then I was at a Con for 4 days so I didn't have much time to write. But I wrote a longer chapter this time so I hope you enjoy it. The song reference can be found on youtube. (watch?v=AigLlj61HAo)


	6. Chapter 6

**Chapter 6**

 **Trigger Warning! - Abuse and brief mention of suicide.**

* * *

Complete and utter chaos was the only way to describe the asylum that morning. Doctors and nurses alike **,** scattered through the hall, papers flying everywhere as they slipped from the pile of folders held in their hands. There were several who seemed to avoid close collisions with each other as they scrambled to get to their destinations and many of the patients that were free to move around the wards seemed more lost than usual. After Aubrey had arrived at Chloe's room, she practically dragged the redheaded doctor down the hallway and towards her office. Chloe rushed to button her white lab coat and comb through her hair with her fingers **,** so as not to look like a total mess. Aubrey's heels clicked on the floor as she kept her brisk pace down the hall. Scrambling behind her, Chloe finally managed to catch up with the head doctor.

"What do you mean he's on his way to Barden? From how you spoke, you made it sound as if he wasn't planning to visit at all!" Chloe seemed more frazzled than usual after the chain of events that seem to keep occurring. She still hadn't really had time to address what had happened with Beca the previous night.

"I didn't think he would, but Beca's only been here for a short time, as you'll recall. I suppose he wants to make sure we're following his 'orders' and 'treating her' in the most inhumane way possible. You know his first suggestion was electroshock therapy until she could hardly remember who she was? The man is barbaric." Aubrey seemed to be fuming as the clicking of the heels became more aggressive with each step. Her hands were curled into fists so tightly that they turned white.

Chloe bit her lip in concern and played with the cusp of her jacket sleeve as she contemplated what other things Dr. Mitchell could have possibly ordered for them to do to Beca. Did he recommend that kind of treatment for the other patients? Surely not…but she couldn't guarantee anything. "Um, Aubrey…if you haven't been using that treatment on Beca, does the rest of the institution not use it on the patients either?" Aubrey stopped for a second and looked at Chloe sadly. She placed a hand on her shoulder and looked into her eyes very seriously.

"Chloe, I keep telling you, I have very little say in what goes on in this institution. If I could just overrule things that I didn't agree with here, I would, but I just can't. Not with Dr. Mitchell overseeing everything. He even hires the doctoral staff, while I get to glance at the resumes at best. Things used to be a lot worse before I was in charge. Before you arrived, I was the doctor assigned to the Special Cases ward until the position could be filled. I was like you.

I wanted results, but not at the cost of hurting someone. But Dr. Mitchell refused funding. Limited medications to keep costs low, he doesn't believe in psychotherapy either. I was forced to go against my moral code, and the _things_ I had to do to some of these people, I have to live with that for the rest of my life. _Tradition_ he said." Aubrey paused, her face turned down with a broken expression. Her voice became soft, as her eyes seemed to glaze over with sadness. What kind of monsters was Aubrey coping with? "But I'm not going to let that happen to you or those girls.

But I can't overrule a doctor for wanting to use outdated forms of treatment. It's in their contract that they can, and the institutions policy and lack of funding is still in place, as I've addressed."

Chloe listened attentively to all that was being said, thinking back to some of the first conversations she ever had with Aubrey. She seemed slightly confused at some of the new information she seemed to be collecting. "But…before, you seemed all for this kind of treatment?" Aubrey shook her head.

"I have to keep up appearances. You never know who might be listening. Do you know what could happen if word got back to him that I was telling doctors not to be cruel?" Aubrey laughed bitterly. "' _It's fine Dr. Posen, it's not like they're real people. And who would believe them anyway? We wouldn't want it getting back to your_ father _that you were disobeying the orders of one of his closest and dearest friends, now would you?'_ Sometimes to save ourselves and others, we have to play the part we're given." A tear slipped from Aubrey's eye, but she reached to brush it away before Chloe saw it. She wasn't subtle or quick enough, and Chloe's expression become just as morose. How many people did Dr. Mitchell have under his thumb?

Suddenly, Luke bound around a corner, he had some coffees in his hands. He extended one each to Aubrey and Chloe and gave a mock salute. "Hello, Ladies. You'll both want this. Hell itself is about to be unleashed. Best of luck!" With a chipper grin to both the women, Luke headed down the hall. For the chaos that was going on around him, the man seemed far too happy. As he reached the halfway point of the hallway, they could see him raise a hand to cup his mouth. "Gird your loins!" Many people picked up the pace of their sprinting. Aubrey ran a hand through her hair and took a sip of the coffee. Chloe followed suite and grimaced as the hot, bitter liquid swished across her taste buds. _Rather appropriate,_ she thought, remarking on the parallel for the general mood around the hall.

"God save us all." Aubrey took off down the hallway and at that moment, Emily finally popped in next to Chloe. The young girl looked absolutely terrified.

"What's happening? Why is everyone acting crazy?" The ginger didn't really have time to explain the situation at hand, and instead shook her head and grabbed Emily's wrist just as Aubrey had done earlier. Chloe took off after the tall blonde, the nurse in tow close behind.

"Aubrey, when is he supposed to arrive? How do you even know it's today?" Chloe questioned cautiously. Aubrey's face looked absolutely sickly with stress. Chloe briefly wondered if she was going to get sick. They quickly rounded another corner.

"I got a call from him this morning. He said he would be arriving in a few hours. We don't have much time." Aubrey finally reached her office and entered it. She quickly ran over to her desk, practically throwing all the clutter amassed on her desk into drawers. She had to make sure everything was spic and span before he got there. Chloe's eyes grew wide as realization finally hit her.

"Aubrey, what about Beca? Does Beca even know? What's going to happen when her father realizes she's fine?" Aubrey froze. She looked up, eyes wide.

"Shit!" Aubrey sat down at the desk, placing a hand over her eyes. She turned rapidly and threw up in a nearby trashcan. Chloe cringed a little bit, but she could clearly tell Aubrey was being pushed here with all the responsibility falling on her shoulders in this massively screwed up circumstance. Going over to Emily, who still seemed massively confused, Chloe pushed her in Aubrey's direction.

"Why don't you help Aubrey out? I need to go talk to Beca." Emily nodded and headed over to Aubrey, kneeling down next to her and started patting her back while whispering something to her. Chloe let out a breath she had been holding and finally felt confident enough to leave. She sprinted down the hallway, weaving her way past nurses, doctors, and patients until she finally reached the ward.

As Chloe reached Beca's door, she looked into the window and saw Beca lying on her side, facing away from the door, in her bed. Chloe opened the door and walked in.

"Beca I have to—"

"Get out Chloe." Beca cut her off rather harshly. Her tone was aggressive and final. Chloe knew she couldn't just let this go though. Chloe headed over and placed a hand on Beca's shoulder to try to get her to look at her but Beca turned and slapped her hand away. "Didn't you hear me? Fuck off." Chloe drew her hand back, as if she had been harshly burnt. She had never seen Beca act like this before, not with her at least. Chloe knew it was her fault, and the guilt started to tug on her heartstrings. Beca's eyes were puffy and red, likely from crying. The girl seemed utterly exhausted. Had she slept?

"Beca, your father, he's on his way here! He's-" Beca finally stood up and her face showed so much rage it started to scare Chloe.

"My father? Who the hell cares about my father? You think I give a shit if he comes here or not anymore?" Beca started laughing bitterly. "No, let him come. I'm tired of believing someone might actually give a shit about me. I'll handle him on my own." She finally huffed out a sigh. She looked downright exhausted, having spent most of her energy. It made her look even more small and fragile than she already did. "You've done enough, Chloe. Now please leave." Chloe wanted to say something more, wanted to comfort her more, but what could she do? This was her fault. Beca was hurting because of her. She had to fix this, she had to. She watched Beca sit down on her bed, her long brown hair falling around her face like a curtain. Chloe sighed and headed out into the hallway, tears prickling at corners of her eyes.

After closing the door, she leaned back against it, her body suddenly feeling heavy. She looked up at the bright lights running along the top of the ceiling and a few tears slipped. But, remembering what was going on, she suddenly found herself about as stressed with this whole situation as Aubrey. Chloe shook her head, throwing her hands quickly down to her sides and stormed back towards Aubrey's office. They had to come up with something!

As she moved quickly down the hallway, she continued to get lost in the ever spinning thoughts that passed through her head. How to fix things with Beca? What to about her father?

What more was going on here? This is not what she expected when she got her degree! As Chloe was going down the main hall, she found herself bumping into someone. She went to excuse herself and apologize, but when she looked up, the words caught in her throat as she found herself staring into the face of a middle aged man with a stare so intense it struck fear to her very core. The man was a few inches taller than her, increasing just how intimidating he was actually coming off. He wore a nicely tailored dark brown suit with a blue and black striped tie. The hair and scruff on his face was a brown color, and though it complimented his hazel eyes rather nicely, she couldn't help but take a few steps back. She had never seen this man before, a gasp caught in her throat as realization dawned on her.

The man seemed unamused with the younger doctor running into him. He eyed her up and down before raising an eyebrow as if expecting her to say something. After all, she had rudely ran into him. Chloe found that her mouth was dry, but she tried to fix this awkward situation. Maybe he wasn't as bad as everyone said, right? "O-Oh, I'm so sorry, please excuse me, I wasn't watching where I was going. Hi, I'm Dr. Chl-"

"Doctor? That must be a joke. If you can't even watch where you're going, how can anyone expect you to be competent enough to treat a patient?" He spoke to her in such a cold, clinical voice that Chloe found herself snapping her mouth shut tight. She normally prided herself on being fairly confident, but this man made her feel like she was a five year old again. Even her father, a rather detached man, seemed to come off less intimidating than him! "I'm looking for Dr. Posen." Chloe nodded her head, trying to keep herself calm as she walked with him to her office. She hoped Emily had been faring better with Aubrey, this didn't seem like it was going to go over well.

As Chloe reached her hand to knock on the door lightly, the man brushed her aside rather harshly and entered the office unannounced. Chloe rubbed her arm and followed after him. Aubrey was already standing up from her desk, Emily standing beside her.

Walking around from behind her desk, Aubrey straightened her jacket a bit and extended her hand. "Dr. Mitchell, it's a… _pleasure_ to see you again. You'll be happy to know that I've been keeping things in order as promised. What can I do for you?" Aubrey grinned a fake smile, but Chloe could see she was two seconds away from totally losing it. She had to be eating herself alive inside with all that pent up stress and anxiety. Emily casually walked over to stand by Chloe, feeling a little unnerved by the new presence herself.

"Spare me your incompetence, Posen. You only got put in charge here because your father asked me as a personal favor, not because you know what you're doing. I'm surprised this place is still functioning at all. If I remember correctly, you're about as spineless as a jelly fish, and a real suck up to boot. I can see the new doctoral staff aren't any better." His eyes slid over to Chloe and Emily. Aubrey lowered her chin in submission. Emily was practically hiding behind Chloe at this point, having just watched someone she had placed in high authority and respect be torn down so drastically. Chloe's eyes blazed with fury, wanting to defend the blonde after having heard the stories she was told earlier.

"Hey, Aubrey's done a great job! You can't just-" Aubrey looked over at Chloe, eyes narrowed and panicked. She shook her head and Chloe closed her mouth again, but the anger still was visible in her expression. Dr. Mitchell turned his head to her and chuckled.

"Seems this one has some spirit left in her. What, did you need a guard dog to protect you? Don't worry, she won't have that spirit for long." Chloe felt a cold chill run up her spine. Emily tapped her on the shoulder, drawing her attention away.

" _Who is this guy? Why is he being so threatening? Can't we just remove him? He can't just do this can he?"_ Chloe frowned sympathetically at the younger girl. She shook her head sadly.

" _That's Beca's father. He basically owns this institution. I don't think he should be able to get away with this either, Em, but what can we do? Aubrey is really getting hit hard here."_ Turning back to the scene before them, Dr. Mitchell had drawn close to Aubrey.

"Dr. Mitchell, I can assure you that everything is under control." Aubrey tried to regain some of her confidence, and appear to be in control, despite literally having almost none. He smirked.

"Oh really? Then I can assume that all of my orders are being followed? And that Beca is on her way to _recovery_." The smile he had along with the implications left a bad taste in her mouth as her stomach turned. Aubrey's guard wavered for a moment, but she tried to maintain her poker face.

"We are doing all that we can for Beca. Dr. Beale over here has been making great progress with many of the patients, including Beca." Aubrey was being evasive, and Chloe could tell. Maybe Dr. Mitchell would buy it. His expression fell into a deep frown and wrinkles formed on his forehead. No wonder Beca had such a defensive disposition to strangers. What kind of horrors had this man inflicted on his on daughter? Now Chloe really wanted to give this guy a piece of her mind. The calming hand that was placed on her shoulder distracted her long enough to turn to Emily and saw her pleading expression not to do anything rash. Chloe huffed.

"Well, if she _has_ made progress, I demand to see some results. Show me to her." Aubrey nodded, her eyes glancing over towards Chloe. The blonde headed out the door with the older man following, who were trailed behind by Emily and Chloe. Chloe turned toward Emily stopping her a little bit a ways from Aubrey and Dr. Mitchell.

" _Emily, please, go assist Luke in the men's ward, or help Benji, or go back to your room. Anything, just please don't follow us further._ _I don't get a good feeling about this._ " Emily frowned at Chloe. She opened her mouth to argue, but Chloe butted in before she could. " _Please, Emily."_ Knowing this had to be something bad, Emily just nodded and wandered away.

Though she had to run a little, Chloe managed to catch up with the two. Aubrey seemed to be walking rather slowly, probably just stalling the inevitable, but Dr. Mitchell seemed to only show his increasing impatience. No one spoke, and the tension could practically be cut with a knife. Even the redhead wondered what would come of this meeting. She prayed he wouldn't do anything drastic to Beca. If he was as much of a monster as everyone was making him out to be, she didn't need or deserve that. Especially after Chloe had just left like that. She felt the guilt hit her again twice as hard. _It's not that I wanted to leave! I just…it's illegal! I would be taking advantage of her. My code doesn't allow such things…but…I do care for her…and she is sane…_ Chloe bit her lip. She needed to get this sorted out.

Finally, they came to Beca's door. Aubrey removed the key from her pocket and inserted it into the keyhole. The door swung open with the familiar creak, but the sound seemed to ring in her ears. She could feel her heart beating loudly in her chest as a sense of dread came over her. She made her way to stand next to Aubrey as they entered her cell.

Beca was still on her bed, turned away from them. Chloe fidgeted with the cusp of her lab coat again, looking at her forlornly. Her eyes kept flicking between Beca and her father nervously. The man made his way over, his footsteps slow and heavy.

As he reached Beca, he grabbed her shoulder and flipped her over on her back rather aggressively. Beca glared up at him, and he glared right back. "Have you learned your lesson, Beca? Has being in here taught you that your freedom is a privilege and it can and will be taken away if you keep up this petty little rebellious act of yours?" Beca spat at him.

"Fuck you." The second she had uttered it, a loud slap rang through the cell. Chloe gritted her teeth and went to move forward, but Aubrey grabbed her and held her back. Beca held her stinging cheek in her hand and kept her scornful look.

"I'm losing my patience, Beca. Sheila doesn't think there's any hope for you, but I can be gracious. I'll give you one more chance to stop this before it goes any farther. It's all up to you." Dr. Mitchell smiled at his daughter, but it wasn't loving. No, this was cold, conceited. The kind you get when you feel you have all the power in a situation and you expect someone to bend backwards under your gaze. Chloe knew Beca wasn't one of those people.

"You're delusional if you think for one second I'm going to listen to you. You think you control everyone around you, and the second they do something you don't like, you take them out because they stop being convenient. You're the reason my mother "killed herself", you bastard. You probably hired someone to make it look like a suicide, just like you put me in here for being "insane". Well guess what? The jokes on you, because they treat me better in here than you ever will. I'm not your pawn, Benjamin. Fuck off." Beca lifted her left hand and flipped him off. You could see the defiance in her eyes, the pure hatred that lingered there.

Clearly Dr. Mitchell didn't appreciate her display. Within seconds he had grabbed her wrist and yanked her off the bed. Beca landed on her knees hard, and her head would have hit the ground too if not for his iron grip on her wrist. He pulled her up and grabbed onto her middle finger with his free hand, glaring down at her. Chloe struggled against Aubrey's grips, but Aubrey only clamped her grip down tighter.

"I warned you, Beca. Clearly you're going to need _stronger_ treatment methods. Your insolence has not improved. I am very displeased." Beca remained silent as Dr. Mitchell looked over at the two doctors standing in the room. Chloe was looking at him with pure hatred in her eyes; Aubrey's held fear. At that moment, a sickening crack was heard throughout the cell followed by a scream. Dr. Mitchell had completely bent back and broken Beca's middle finger. The digit hung there limp. Tears were streaming down Beca's face, but all that remained was an expression of hatred.

Something inside Chloe snapped when she saw what he had done to Beca. She struggled against Aubrey wildly. "You son of a bitch! Let me at him! Let me go, Aubrey!" Aubrey held her tightly and started to drag her from the room, her arms having moved to Chloe's midsection as she drug her out of the cell. Chloe fought the whole way, tears streaming down her face as Dr. Mitchell continued to strike his daughter who was lying limply on the ground cursing at him as he kicked her torso over and over spouting profanity at her. "Beca, I'm sorry. Beca!" Chloe kept reaching out, trying in some way to help the poor girl. She felt like a part of her was being torn out every time she heard the heartbreaking screams and whimpers Beca was letting out as the assault rained down on her.

Aubrey finally got her far enough away from the room, Chloe still struggling against her, but it was a weaker attempt now. Her face was covered in tears, but as Aubrey loosened her grip from around her waist, and moved one hand to her wrist to keeping her from running off, Chloe spun around and slapped Aubrey clean across the face. Aubrey flinched, but saw just how upset Chloe was and she couldn't blame her. What surprised Chloe was that Aubrey looked just as heartbroken as her. "You…You…how could you let him do that to her? We could have helped her, still could help her! But you held me back. What the hell is wrong with you?" Chloe was yelling at this point, all calm completely gone. Aubrey sighed.

"Chloe, I want to take down that bastard as much as you do. I want to help Beca too, but we can't help her if we're fired. Chloe, he can have any one of us gone with just a snap of his fingers. Do you want Beca to suffer in here, more than she is now, _alone_ , with no one who gives a damn about her?" Chloe cried harder, shaking her head. Sobs wracked her body. The only thing she wanted to do was run back to Beca and help her. "I'm really sorry, Chloe. Please forgive me." Chloe stopped struggling, her expression became hollow. It seemed like hours, though it was more likely just a few minutes before Dr. Mitchell exited Beca's cell. He walked over to the two doctors, a furious expression on his face. The second he reached them, Chloe took off towards Beca's cell.

Running as fast as she could, she entered the tiny room and saw Beca curled into a fetal position on the floor. Her body was covered in bruises that had already started to form, and Beca had coughed up some blood. She was clutching the broken finger gingerly against her chest and stared blankly at the wall. Chloe came over and threw herself on the ground, sitting next to Beca. She carefully maneuvered the brunette into a partial sitting position as Chloe held her close. She withdrew a syringe and a small bottle of morphine and administered a small amount to Beca to ease the pain. The other girl curled into Chloe, as quiet sobs escaped her. At that moment, Chloe felt her heart break. "I'll never let that vile man lay a hand on you again, Beca. I promise.

I'm so sorry. I'm going to make this right. I'll protect you if it's the last thing I do." Beca was quiet, not that Chloe expected much of a response. She turned her head and gently placed a kiss to Beca's temple. She knew she had to get Beca some immediate medical attention though. Chloe loudly called for two orderlies and the two men helped get Beca into a wheelchair. Within moments, the small brunette was being wheeled to the infirmary at the hands of two gentler orderlies, as she followed closely right behind.

Meanwhile, after Chloe had run off, Dr. Mitchell shook his head in disgust knowing his daughter was going to be receiving aid and not what he expected of his orders. His harsh gaze turned onto Aubrey. Aubrey cowered under his intense stare, knowing that he had been displeased not only how Beca clearly wasn't any more submissive, but also that Aubrey seemed not to have been assuring that Beca was suffering here as intended.

It came as a surprise when he said nothing, but gestured for her to follow him. He made his way towards the entrance of the asylum, taking his hat and coat from Benji as he reached the door. He took off moments later. He turned towards Aubrey, disappointment still written on his expression. "You've failed me, Aubrey, not that I'm surprised. I thought you would have learned after the _first_ incident. And that little redhead has been disobeying my direct orders to treat Beca as we agreed, to which is your responsibility to oversee. It seems measures will need to be taken into my own hands. You'll be hearing from me. Good day, Miss Posen." His words felt like a verbal slap to the face. He didn't even acknowledge her doctoral status, only reaffirming how incompetent he thought her to be. The door slammed shut, leaving Aubrey to stand in an empty hallway. The silence seemed to be deafeningly loud to her own ears. Making her way back to her office, Aubrey finally sat down at her desk, laid her head down, and cried. What the hell was going to happen?

* * *

Hey guys, sorry for the wait again. Things got a bit crazy these past two weeks. I know this chapter is a lot darker than the rest, but I still hope you like some of the development that's taking place. I would like to ask a favor though. I'm going to be introducing some characters we haven't seen yet in the next couple chapters, so if you let me know who you most want to see, I'll do my best to write them in. Anyway, thank you all for reading, your support means a lot.


	7. Chapter 7

_**Hey guys, I realize I hadn't updated in quite some time. I hope those of you still reading this haven't given up on me. I've been really busy between work and school, and I've got quite a lot on my plate with some personal issues as well. I am still intent on finishing this, but updates will have to come as I get the time. Comments really keep me motivated and I can't thank all of you who comment and favorite and follow the story enough. I'll try not to go so long without updating again, but for now I hope you enjoy the chapter. Also, don't freak out too much over some of the drama. I promise that all the characters that I have written in at some point will be seen again, and there will be some redeeming factors to the drama. I'm just getting the major conflict in there. So don't worry too much :) Thanks!**_

* * *

 _ **Chapter 7**_

The awful smell of antiseptic lingered in the infirmary. Chloe had Beca sitting on one of the beds while she prepared a few things to give a proper examination of the damage done and to set her finger. The clear medical cabinets held most of the necessary supplies so she busied herself with going through the list of materials to extract. The only sound that was heard through the room was the quiet clank as Chloe set each object onto the metal tray at her side. She paused as she looked over the tray, satisfied that she had grabbed everything. Her hand reached for the tray, but she stilled and placed it on the nearby counter instead. Running her free hand through her hair, Chloe gave a deep sigh. Things had gotten very complicated, very quickly. In fact, Beca hadn't said a word to her since they arrived. Still, doing her job was more important than the discomfort that she was feeling. With a bit more determination, she grabbed the tray and headed back over toward the examination bed. Putting on a slightly forced smile, Chloe reached out and drew back the bed curtain.

"Alright, Beca, I have your…Oh, uh, hello?" Chloe stopped, the smile falling from her face. Standing next to Beca was a man with short brown hair wearing an orderly's uniform. Chloe hadn't seen him in here earlier. The strange thing was he didn't look like an orderly. He was wearing a nurse's cap. "I'm sorry, I didn't know there was anyone else in here, Mr…?" The man grinned.

"Swanson. Jesse Swanson. I'm actually the nurse on duty in the infirmary. It's nice to finally meet you Dr. Beale. You're quite the talk of the institution." Jesse stuck his hands in his pockets, his grin remained plastered on his face. Chloe resisted the urge to crinkle her nose.

"A bit odd to see a male nurse, isn't it?" Chloe placed the tray of utensils down on the bedside table and crossed her arms. She wanted to be as formal as possible, but Chloe just didn't get much of a comfortable feeling with the nurse.

"Says the female doctor who works in an ancient asylum?" Jesse smirked at her. Beca chuckled on the bed before cringing at the pang of pain that shot through her, causing Chloe to narrow her eyes slightly. _He has quips, brilliant._

"Right, well I believe _I_ have a _patient_ to attend to. So we're fine here, _Mr._ Swanson."

Chloe put her smile back in place before trying to as casually as possible go about examining Beca's upper body. Beca flinched away when Chloe's hand drew close to her. The doctor reluctantly drew her hand back and sighed. Jesse, having still not left, placed his hand on the rail of Beca's bed and glanced at Chloe.

"You know, it looks like she's not very comfortable with you. How about I give it a go?" Chloe glared back at Jesse. While given that yes, he is a trained nurse assigned to this department, Beca was _her_ patient. And more importantly she was…well, something more than that, but Chloe hadn't really…defined what. And the thought of anyone else touching her after what had just occurred left a fury in the pit of Chloe's stomach that didn't diminish quickly.

"We're quite fine, please, leave." Jesse shrugged and stepped away from the bed. Afterwards, Chloe aggressively drew the curtain around the bed with finality. She stepped up next to Beca's bedside, looking down into the other girl's blue eyes. There was something haunting about the look that lingered there, a sparkle that was missing since Chloe had spoken to the other woman. Her jaw was clenched tight and the scowl on her face was very persistent. Whether it was from pain or something else, Chloe couldn't say for certain.

"Beca…can I… _may_ I take a look at your injuries?" Beca continued to look up at Chloe, further adding to the guilt she felt when those eyes looked through to her soul with such betrayal. Chloe finally took a seat on the edge of the bed, her hand reaching and taking Beca's uninjured one in her own. Chloe ran her thumb over the top of Beca's hand and looked down, unable to meet her gaze. "Beca I know I messed up. But I _never_ meant to hurt you. And I _never_ want to let anything like that happen to you ever again." Chloe could feel tears starting to slip down her cheeks. "I know you're still mad at me. But _please_ , let me help take away some of your pain. Let me do that much." Beca nodded, looking away.

Giving a sigh, Chloe knew she couldn't have expected much more than that. It was something at least, and it meant that weird nurse wasn't touching her. Chloe stood and gently lifted up the bottom of Beca's shirt. The bruising was evident and Chloe had to resist gasping at the horror. How could her own father do this to her?

"Beca, I'm going to need to make sure you didn't break any of your ribs. I have to apply some pressure in a few places. I won't lie, it's going to hurt, but I'll be as gentle as I can, okay?" There was another affirmative nod. Chloe ran her hand over Beca's ribcage, finding the placement of the bones that she needed. Each bone required a minimal amount of pressure applied to test the condition. Chloe took a deep breath and pressed down.

"Ow!" Beca swatted Chloe's hand away and glared at her. A bit startled, Chloe went and gently placed her hands back on another rib.

"Sorry, I'll try to put less pressure there." Once more Chloe applied pressure.

"OWWWW!" Beca swatted her away again. Chloe huffed and placed her hands on her hips.

"Beca. I have to do this or I won't know if you broke something." There was a very intense staring contest that took place thereafter between the brunette and the redhead. Beca was the first to look away.

" _Yeah, maybe you should check my heart…"_ Beca mumbled under breath. Chloe raised an eyebrow.

"What?" Beca shook her head in response to the question.

"I said, my finger is definitely broken, so how about we fix that?" Beca rolled her eyes and turned away again. Chloe shook her head, this was turning into a disaster. Someone was going to have to cut the tension but now was not the time.

"Fine." Chloe gently picked up the injured hand, the finger still hung in an unnatural position. Chloe held out a mouth guard in front of Beca. "Bite." Beca questioningly glanced at the odd thing, but did so none the less. "This will not be pleasant, you'll thank me." Chloe gently took the digit between her fingers and with a quick snap, set the bones back in their original place. Beca's other hand grasped the bed rail until her knuckles turned a ghostly white and her scream was muffled by the mouth guard. Chloe quickly wrapped up the finger and placed a splint over it. Beca spit the mouth guard out and held her hand gently close to her.

"There, your finger should be fine once you let it heal. But you can't be aggressive with it. Can I finish your rips now?" Beca, still not having let up from the pain from her finger just nodded and moved a bit. Chloe tested a few more ribs, the pain in comparison having scaled down immensely. Of course, Chloe still managed to press one of them in just the wrong spot.

"OW CHLOE!" Beca started an intangible rant that Chloe could barely make half the words out of. At this point, Chloe was far more frustrated than the both of them. _God, I just need her to be quiet for like a minute while I finish this examination._ Suddenly Chloe leaned in and captured Beca's lips with her own.

Having been startled, Beca jumped slightly and gasped, leaving just enough time for Chloe's tongue to slip inside. Beca felt herself screaming internally to do something. Slap her, push her away, yell at her, anything but let Chloe continue to burrow her way into her heart. Beca had been determined ever since Chloe rejected her after their first kiss to not let this go any further, but her lips were just so soft and welcoming. After the initial shock passed, Beca eagerly reciprocated the kiss, grabbing Chloe's lab coat with her good hand and pulling her closer. Chloe smirked, having succeeded with her plan and quickly finished the evaluation on Beca. With Beca distracted, the small pangs of pain were probably the farthest thing from her thoughts.

Chloe lingered there just a little longer before slowly pulling away. Chloe smiled at Beca, who was taking her time gently rubbing her ribs and taking some deep breaths.

"Well, none of your ribs are broke." Chloe retreated from Beca's space entirely and started to clean up the medical supplies, leaving Beca more than a little confused and slightly aggravated.

"Seriously? You _kissed me_ just to get me to _cooperate?_ That's messed up, Chloe!" Chloe paused in her movements and her smile fell into another expression of guilt. She looked at Beca and shook her head.

"Beca…I mean what I'm saying. I'm going to protect you. I…have more than just friendly feelings towards you. There's a lot for me at stake here, and I'm just trying to process things, okay? But, I'm going to be here for you. Seeing you like that, the idea that you were so alone dealing with that monster, that I could lose you…it hurt me more than you know Beca." Chloe placed one of her hands on Beca's cheek, staring deeply into her eyes to really convey how sincere she was trying to be. "I want this. I do. And I'm done running away. I'll spend however long it takes making it up to you if I have to. I'm sorry." Chloe let a few tears slip out of the corner of her eye. Beca brought a hand up to cover Chloe's and leaned into it.

"I forgive you, Chloe." Chloe smiled and laughed, a huge relief falling onto her as her tears streamed down her cheeks. Beca crooked a smile at her, feeling like at least something positive came out of this traumatic ordeal.

However, their heart to heart moment didn't seem to last long as the curtain was unceremoniously torn back, the screeching of the curtain rings on the metal rod a sure sign of that. Both the girls jumped slightly, Chloe, of which, jumped back from Beca as if being shocked. A light blush coated her face and Beca had her usual scowl on her face again. The person behind the screen was none other than Jesse, again. Chloe wanted to huff and roll her eyes, but that would be slightly unprofessional.

"Dr. Beale, I believe I heard someone calling for you outside?" Chloe skeptically looked at Jesse before glancing briefly back at Beca. Leaving one last lingering look at Beca, trying to convey as much as possible that she would return quickly, Chloe gave an affirmative nod and made her way out of the infirmary.

After Chloe exited, Jesse waved casually at Beca, who seemed just as disinterested as ever now that Chloe had left. Not being deterred by the overwhelmingly awkward tension that lingered in the air, Jesse proceeded to place one hand in his pocket and the other to grab Beca's chart.

"So, uh, says here on your exam chart that you don't have any broken ribs. Looks like everything is going tibia fine." Beca took her good hand and facepalmed. Was this guy for real?

"Dude, look, thanks for like whatever it is you're doing, but it's cool. Really. Chloe got everything handled." Jesse, not being deterred simply shrugged.

"Okay, so not my best. So what's your story anyway? Murderer, pyro, hallucinations, come on throw me a bone." Beca rolled her eyes. _Seriously the bone jokes aren't funny._

"I mean, clearly you're sane, right? Though, I've heard some stories." Jesse smirked at her before sitting down on her bed.

"Like that's really any of your business. Don't you have like, papers to file or something?" Beca gestured to the clipboard he was still holding in his hand.

"Eh, sure. But Dr. Beale probably won't be back for a while, sounded urgent. But really, how does a pretty girl like you end up in a place like this? Even gave some of the orderlies a run for their money. Why?" Beca scoffed. The gall of this guy.

"Maybe if you assholes would learn how to treat people right, they wouldn't want to beat you into a pulp when they got the chance. But you'd probably just dope them up with more sedatives."

"Hm, gonna remain the mysterious closed off type, huh?" Jesse gave another friendly smile. "Don't worry, Be-caw! I'm sure we'll be friends in no time. I'll leave you be, just going to give you something for the pain." Handing Beca a few small pills and a cup of water from the bedside table, he waited for Beca to swallow them. After which, he stood from the bed, giving a mock salute to Beca. As he turned to leave, the brunette had her mouth formed into a tight line.

"And just what makes you think we'll be friends? Maybe I don't want anything to do with you." Jesse stopped walking for a moment, turned his head back just slightly, but not enough to directly look at Beca.

" _There is a stubbornness about me that never can bear to be frightened at the will of others. My courage always rises at every attempt to intimidate me."_ Jesse finally started to walk just out of Beca's vision, his footsteps lightly tapping on the floor. Her jaw fell open.

 _Seriously?!_

"Who just _happens_ to quote Pride  & Prejudice as a _comeback_? Oh my god." Beca finally let her body relax back into the bed. No Dad, no Chloe, no Jesse, no more annoying doctors and orderlies. Just Beca, finally left alone for a second with her mind. She thanked whatever higher being that the pain was starting to dull a bit from the medicine. Soon enough, her eyes grew heavy as the world lost its clarity, and she slipped off into a dreamless sleep.

* * *

The next few days were no more eventful than before. There had been no word from Beca's father, no dooming wrath wrought upon the innocent to strike down the humane. No, it was just the same as it was before. Chloe had been working closely with Beca, probably more so than the rest of her patients. She felt a little guilty, but since admitting that she wanted to secretly pursue her feelings, things had been looking up, and Beca really needed to have her injuries looked at regularly to check on the progress of healing. Aubrey however had been tenser than ever. Chloe was starting to worry about her health almost as much as she did Beca's.

Today though, Chloe had decided that everyone in her wing deserved a bit of fresh air and let them roam the courtyard under her explicit supervision. Lilly and Jessica seemed to be having a rather intense staring contest. Beca was sitting in at one of the benches in the corner, leaning back on one of the stone columns. Cynthia Rose and Stacie were rather close, Chloe had considered going over to see _how close_ exactly, but decided against it. They were outdoors, surely Stacie wouldn't do anything in public, right? For Chloe's sake she hoped not. The only patient that Chloe couldn't account for was…

"Where's Amy?" Chloe stood from her own sitting place on another bench in the courtyard and started making her way around it. She made sure to check behind the columns just in case. The courtyard itself wasn't more than a small enclosed square that served as more of an easy walkway between the halls of the asylum, but often times the patients would occasionally be free to roam here as well. As Chloe rounded a corner, the furthest one away from the group when the Australian women jumped out in front of her, startling her quite a bit.

"Hey, Ginge."

"Amy, what are you doing over here?" Chloe composed herself quickly, trying not to let it show that she had been even slightly frazzled.

"Oh, well, someone told me that there was a leprechaun over here, but all I found was some change and a toad. A bit of an exaggeration if you ask me, but I don't judge the Irish." Chloe shook her head. She was…serious? However, now was really not the time to get into that.

"Okay, then how about we move back over to the group?" Chloe pointed back towards where the other girls were.

"Hmm, I suppose. While we're here though, what's going on with you and Wednesday Addams?" Amy pointed over towards Beca, distinguishing exactly who she was talking about. Having not expected that question, Chloe's face turned red as a tomato. She immediately started making wild hand gestures trying to dissuade the thought.

"W-What? Beca? No! Nothing! Where did you get that idea? Nooooooo. That would be incredibly unprofessional." Chloe's poker face was not her specialty. But she hoped Amy wouldn't press the matter in any case.

"Since nothing's going on then, I definitely _wouldn't_ say that she would be sneaking into your room tonight. And I _definitely_ wouldn't say that Amy should receive access to the lobby television on Tuesdays so she can watch _The Twilight Zone_ in exchange for this information. Wink, wink." Chloe couldn't help the laugh that escaped her and smiled at Amy. Shaking her head, she patted Amy's shoulder a few times as they started making their way back.

"I'll see what I can do Amy. Thank you very much." Amy fist pumped in their air before heading over to where Beca was sitting. Chloe briefly wondered if Amy was trying to sweeten the deal a little more. That woman really had all the cards up her sleeve, so just who was her intel? Or was she really that good? Not knowing whether or not she really wanted to know, Chloe took a seat back on her bench and was about to resume reading the book that lay at her side when she heard quickened footsteps approaching her. Chloe looked up and saw Emily frantically running towards her in a panic. Chloe rushed to meet her, wondering what could possibly be the matter.

"What? What is it, Emily?" The young girl shook her head.

"No-Nobody has seen Dr. Posen all day! We've looked everywhere! Dr. McLaggen told me to come find you." Chloe nodded and placed her hands on Emily's shoulders.

"Emily, I need you to take these girls back to their rooms. I'm going to go to Aubrey's office. She wouldn't just disappear like that. She would have left a notice or something. You did a good job, alright?" Emily gave a small smile, albeit a little shaky still, but she started rounding up the girls to go back, giving Chloe the ability to go after Aubrey.

On her way to the office, Chloe managed to run into Luke. The young man's face was set into a hardened expression. Chloe wasn't sure if it was more out of worry, or if there was more to this.

"Luke?" He turned his head towards her.

"Ah, Chloe, I'm glad Emily found you. Have you seen Aubrey anywhere?" Chloe shook her head. "I was afraid of that. Some of the nursing and orderly staff haven't either. I was headed to her office, would you accompany me?" Chloe nodded and both the of the doctor's quickly made their way down the corridors to the Head Doctor's office. However, neither managed to get there. They halted in their tracks as the entrance hall came into view. Standing there were three unidentified doctors that neither had seen before. They appeared to simply be chatting among themselves but Chloe immediately felt a sinking feeling in the bit of her stomach.

"Luke…do you know them?" The man shook his head. In the group was a woman standing at about Chloe's height with dark hair tied up in a bun. The other two were incredibly tall with sharp almost masculine bone structures. One was a blonde haired woman and the other was a man with brown hair and some stubble. The shorter woman suddenly took notice of Chloe and Luke standing there. She smirked, sending a shiver down Chloe's spine. No, not a good sign at all.

Suddenly the three doctors were making their way towards Chloe and Luke, stopping once they were in a close enough proximity to speak. The taller doctors left Chloe feeling rather intimidated, but she couldn't help herself when she narrowed her eyes at them. Aubrey goes missing and these three show up? Something wasn't right about all this business.

"You must be Dr. Beale and Dr. McLaggen. I've heard so much about you…nothing pleasant I'm afraid. And you're even more disappointing in person." The woman with dark hair spoke, making a disgusted face as she addressed them. "My name is Dr. Alice Donohue and these are my colleagues, Dr. Kommisar Hjort Sørensen, and Dr. Peter Borg. They prefer to be referred to as Kommisar and Peter though, but _I_ expect formality." Chloe looked to the other two and then back at Alice.

"Hallo."

"Guten Tag."

"Rather strange names, but what does that have to do with-" Chloe was immediately cut off as Alice narrowed her eyes and shut her down rather quickly.

"Your breath smells like eggs. Stop. _Talking_. If you'd have let me _finish_ , I would have explained that my colleagues and I here have been hired on, orders of Dr. Mitchell. Kommisar and Peter here have travelled all the way here from Germany to give their expertise into treatments of the mentally ill, as Dr. Mitchell clearly believes…more _creative_ measures of treatment may need to be pursued. Kommisar and Peter have quite an array of knowledge that they've acquired outside of the States. Fascinating people, the Germans." Kommisar and Peter grinned, causing Chloe to swallow the lump that seemed to form in her throat. She was afraid to ask the one thing she dreaded, luckily, Luke stepped in for her.

"What about Dr. Posen? Did she know about this?" Suddenly Alice started laughing, and the other two joined her shortly after. She stopped just as quickly though, and silenced them by just holding her hand up. A serious look came on her face.

"You don't need to worry yourself with the likes of that incompetent moron Dr. Posen. She's been…dismissed. I'm the new Head Doctor here at the asylum, I have all the proper documentation right here. Things are going to start changing around here." Alice smirked and placed her hands behind her back. "You both best be prepared. Any insolence will not be tolerated, I assure you. Now get back to work." Alice turned on her heel and walked in the direction of the Head Doctor's office. The door could be heard slamming down the hallway, the noise rattled through Chloe, making her feel like the wind had been knocked out of her. She glanced up to Kommisar and Peter, both who seemed to be staring down at her mockingly before departing as well. Luke disappeared moments later, storming down the hallway, clearly enraged. Chloe, though, was left standing alone in the hallway. Her body felt heavy, and her feet felt glued to the floor. This mess just got a whole lot more complicated, and now she didn't even have Aubrey anymore.

"Shit."


End file.
